Soong, born Han Jiaozhun (韓教準) in Hainan as the third son of Han Hongyi (韓鴻翼), changed his surname after a sonless uncle adopted him while he worked in Boston since twelve. He converted to Christianity at fifteen, started studying Christian theology at sixteen or eighteen, and became a Methodist missionary in 1885. He graduated from Vanderbilt University. In January 1886, he moved to Shanghai, and married Ni Kwei-tseng (倪桂珍 Guizhen) later that year. Their children, in order of age, were:
After meeting and befriending Sun Yat-sen and Lu Hao-tung in summer 1894 in Shanghai, Soong donated over 20,000 dollars to the Tongmenghui led by Sun. (His daughter Ch'ing-ling later married Sun.) He also secretly published anti-Qing revolutionary material along with his bibles.
Soong died of stomach cancer.
See also: History of the Republic of China