Ni Guijin

Ni Guijin, a prominent figure of the late Qing period, was the eldest daughter of Ni Yunshan, the first Chinese pastor of Shanghai’s Tian’an Church, and Xu Yuhua, a descendant of the Ming dynasty scientist Xu Guangqi.

Together with her sisters Ni Guizhen and Ni Xiuzhen, she was known as one of the “Three Ni Sisters.” Her sister Ni Guizhen married Charles Soong (Song Yaoru), making Ni Guijin the aunt of Soong Ching-ling, Soong Ai-ling, Soong Mei-ling, and T.V. Soong.

In the 1880s, Ni Guijin married Niu Shangzhou, one of the first Qing dynasty students sent to the United States. After returning to China, he joined the Self-Strengthening Movement and worked at the Jiangnan Arsenal.

Ni Guijin and Niu Shangzhou had three children: Niu Huilin, Niu Huisheng, and Niu Huizhu. Niu Huilin and Niu Huisheng became well-known surgeons in Shanghai during the Republican era, both serving as presidents of the Chinese Medical Association and contributing to the advancement of modern medicine in China. Niu Huizhu married Guo Yangmo.

Through her marriage and family ties, Ni Guijin became an important link between the Ni family and the influential Soong family. During the 1940s in Chongqing, her descendants maintained close contact with Soong Ching-ling, who offered them care and support. During the Cultural Revolution, Soong Ching-ling also provided economic and material assistance to the Ni family.

The Ni family’s connection to the Chinese students abroad and the Soong family not only helped elevate the Soong clan’s status but also left a lasting influence on modern Chinese history and the development of medicine in China.