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Madame Chiang Kai-shek and the Rise of Modern China

Join the Asia Society for an evening reception with renowned author Hannah Pakula and her new book The Last Empress: Madame Chiang Kai-shek and the Birth of Modern China

When:
November 10, 2010 12:00am
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With the beautiful, powerful and intelligent Madame Chiang Kai-shek, or Soong May-ling, at the center of one of the great dramas of the twentieth century, Hannah Pakula's The Last Empress is the story of the founding of modern China. An epic historical tapestry, this narrative brings to life what Americans should know about China—the superpower we are inextricably linked with —the way its people think and their code of behavior.

Regarded as an icon by some and the Dragon Lady by others, Madame Chiang was the symbol of what a woman could accomplish in China at a time when traditional restraints were heavily placed on women.

During World War II, as a representative of an Eastern ally in the West, she used her enormous intelligence and charm to negotiate her way through the highest echelons of the international political scene. She was befriended—before being rejected—by President and Mrs. Roosevelt and successfully persuaded the U.S government to provide billions of dollars of aid for China's war effort.

As many considered Madame Chiang "the real brains and boss" in the Chiang partnership, Pakula’s biography makes it clear that she lived one of the most extraordinary lives of the twentieth century.

Author of The Last Romantic, a historical biography of Queen Marie of Romania that Graham Greene called "the best biography and one of the three best books of the year," and An Uncommon Woman, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award, Hannah Pakula has also written for magazines including Vanity Fair and book reviews for the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times.

A human rights activist, she helped establish Film Watch under Human Rights Watch and served as head of the Freedom–to-Write Committee of PEN, the international writers group. Pakula was a recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill medal in human rights. She has three children and resides in New York City.

This event is co-hosted with Woman's National Democratic Club.

A light reception will follow the program.The event is from 6.30pm to 8.00pm

RSVPs required by 12:00 noon on Nov. 9.

Cost: 
Asia Society members: $15. Asia Society nonmembers: $20.