Soong was born in Hainan and emigrated to Boston as a child, being brought up by a group of Methodists. After graduated from the Vanderbilt University with a degree in theology, Soong moved to Shanghai in 1885. He set up a printing company there and, according to formal records but not without suspicious remarks, accumulated a good wealth by selling bible. In 1894, Soong met Sun Yat-Sen and was soon taken in by the mission of the latter. In the subsequent years, Soong funded Sun’s travels in search of support for the revolution.
Well, to most of us, Soong was better known for his famous children, including Soong Ch'ing-ling (宋慶齡), Soong May-ling (宋美齡), and Soong Tse Ven (宋子文). The reality was Charlie Soong actually broke up with Sun when Ch'ing-ling ran away with the revolution leader.
That's quite understandable; Sun was already married and merely three years younger than Charlie Soong.
PS. The name Charlie Soong was, in itself, an interesting story. When born in Hainan, he was actually called Han Jiaozhun (韓教準). After emigrated to America and when baptized at the age of 15, his name was changed to Charles Soon - presumably a clumsy pronunciation of Jiaozhun (教準), his original name, by some Hakka dialect.
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