About the Program
Hannah Pakula presents a biography of Madame Chang Kai-Shek (1897-2003). The sixth daughter of an elite family she was afforded an education in the United States and was the second women to speak to a joint session of Congress, to elicit support for China's war with Japan. Madame Chang Kai-Shek was a prominent voice for Nationalist China, who served as her husband's translator and secretary. Following the Communist takeover of the country she fled with her husband to Taipei, Taiwan, which was declared the temporary capital of China. There, Chang Kai Shek was elected president where he served five terms. Following her husband's death Madame Chang Kai-Shek returned to the United States where she died at the age of 105. Hannah Pakula discusses her book at the Seattle Asian Art Museum. The New York Times selected The Last Empress as one of their notable non-fiction books of 2009.