Charlie Soong

1863 – May 3, 1918

Industrialist, Publisher & Methodist Leader

The Bible publisher whose family shaped modern China

Biography

Chinese-American industrialist and Methodist missionary who became one of the wealthiest men in China. Born Han Jiaozhun, he studied at Vanderbilt University and Duke, then returned to China where he printed and distributed Bibles.

Faith & Testimony

Soong converted to Christianity as a young man in America and was baptized a Methodist. He devoted himself to printing Bibles and Christian literature for China, becoming the foremost Bible publisher in the country. His faith shaped his entire family — his children became some of the most influential figures in modern China, and his daughter Mei-ling led Chiang Kai-shek to Christ.

Sources

Charlie Soong — Wikipedia — Patriarch of the Soong dynasty
The Soong Dynasty by Sterling Seagrave — Definitive biography covering Charlie Soong's Methodist conversion, his time at Vanderbilt, and his mission work in China
Charlie Soong: The Man Who Financed a Revolution — Christianity Today profile of Soong's conversion through the influence of sea captain Charles Jones and his Methodist mission work