SHANGHAI -- A chronicle of the life of late Chinese leader Soong Ching Ling was launched in Shanghai on Monday and is believed to be the first book to fully reflect her life and thoughts.

The book has 1.35 million Chinese characters compiled over seven years by scholars in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong.

The book cited contents from 500 historical documents, relics, archives, newspapers and magazines from home and abroad. It also includes unpublished letters, articles and speeches, and recollections of Soong's friends and relatives.

Soong was the wife of Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), forerunner of China's modern political revolution.

She was born in Shanghai in 1893 and died in Beijing in 1981. After the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), she worked as vice chairwoman of the central people's government, vice president of the PRC, and vice chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC).

She was made honorary president of China by the Standing Committee of the fifth NPC on May 16, 1981.