Sun Li-jen (December 8, 1900–November 19, 1990) was a
KuomintangThe Kuomintang of China , translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party, is a political party of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan since the 1970s. It is the founding and the ruling political party of the ROC...
(KMT) General, best known for his leadership in the
Second Sino-Japanese WarThe Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany and the Soviet Union...
and the
Chinese Civil WarThe Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China . The war began in April 1927, amidst the Northern Expedition,. The war represented an ideological split between the Western-supported Nationalist KMT and the Soviet-supported Communist CPC...
. His achievements earned him the laudatory nickname
"RommelErwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , was perhaps the most famous German Field Marshal of World War II....
of the East". His
New 1st ArmyNew 1st Army was reputed as the most elite Chinese military unit of the Kuomintang. Nicknamed the "1st [Best] Army Under the Heaven" during the Chinese Civil War, it caused the most Japanese Army casualties during the Sino-Japanese War...
was reputed as the "1st [Best] Army under the heaven" and credited with defeating the most Japanese troops. He was also known as
Sun Chung-neng (孫仲能, Sūn Zhòngnéng) and had the courtesy name
Sun Fu-min (孫撫民, Sūn Fǔmín).
Sun Li-jen was born in Jinnu,
LujiangLujiang County is a county in Anhui under the jurisdiction of Chaohu. Its population is 1,200,000 and its area is 2352 square kilometers...
,
ChaohuChaohu is a prefecture-level city in central Anhui province, People's Republic of China. Embracing the Lake Chao, from which the city was named, Chaohu borders the provincial capital of Hefei to the northwest, Lu'an to the west, Anqing to the southwest, Tongling to the south, Wuhu to the...
,
AnhuiAnhui is a province of the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
, with ancestry in
Shucheng CountyShucheng County is a county in Anhui under the jurisdiction of Lu'an, in the People's Republic of China. Its population is 1,390,000 and its area is 2449 square kilometers. The government of Shucheng County is located at Chengguan Town....
.
Sun Li-jen (December 8, 1900–November 19, 1990) was a
KuomintangThe Kuomintang of China , translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party, is a political party of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan since the 1970s. It is the founding and the ruling political party of the ROC...
(KMT) General, best known for his leadership in the
Second Sino-Japanese WarThe Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany and the Soviet Union...
and the
Chinese Civil WarThe Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China . The war began in April 1927, amidst the Northern Expedition,. The war represented an ideological split between the Western-supported Nationalist KMT and the Soviet-supported Communist CPC...
. His achievements earned him the laudatory nickname
"RommelErwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , was perhaps the most famous German Field Marshal of World War II....
of the East". His
New 1st ArmyNew 1st Army was reputed as the most elite Chinese military unit of the Kuomintang. Nicknamed the "1st [Best] Army Under the Heaven" during the Chinese Civil War, it caused the most Japanese Army casualties during the Sino-Japanese War...
was reputed as the "1st [Best] Army under the heaven" and credited with defeating the most Japanese troops. He was also known as
Sun Chung-neng (孫仲能, Sūn Zhòngnéng) and had the courtesy name
Sun Fu-min (孫撫民, Sūn Fǔmín).
Early life
Sun Li-jen was born in Jinnu,
LujiangLujiang County is a county in Anhui under the jurisdiction of Chaohu. Its population is 1,200,000 and its area is 2352 square kilometers...
,
ChaohuChaohu is a prefecture-level city in central Anhui province, People's Republic of China. Embracing the Lake Chao, from which the city was named, Chaohu borders the provincial capital of Hefei to the northwest, Lu'an to the west, Anqing to the southwest, Tongling to the south, Wuhu to the...
,
AnhuiAnhui is a province of the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
, with ancestry in
Shucheng CountyShucheng County is a county in Anhui under the jurisdiction of Lu'an, in the People's Republic of China. Its population is 1,390,000 and its area is 2449 square kilometers. The government of Shucheng County is located at Chengguan Town....
. During the
May Fourth MovementThe May Fourth Movement was an anti-imperialist, cultural, and political movement growing out of student demonstrations in Beijing on May 4, 1919 protesting the Chinese government's weak response to the Treaty of Versailles, especially the Shandong Problem...
, he was part of the
ScoutSince the founding of the People's Republic of China by the Communist Party in 1949, Scouting has officially been banned, while the Young Pioneers of China and the Communist Youth League have become the dominant youth organization in mainland China for younger and older youth, respectively. ...
s in the march at
TiananmenThe Tiananmen or Tian'anmen , literally the "Gate of Heavenly Peace", is a famous monument in Beijing, the capital of People's Republic of China. It is widely used as a national symbol. First built during the Ming Dynasty in 1420, Tian'anmen is often referred to as the front entrance to the...
Square. In the same year (1919) he married Gong Xitao (龔夕濤) and was admitted in 1920 to
Tsinghua UniversityTsinghua University , is a university in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Tsinghua University was established in 1911, originally under the name “Tsinghua Xuetang”. The school was renamed the "Tsinghua School" in 1912. The university section was founded in 1925 and the name “National Tsinghua...
to study
civil engineeringCivil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works such as bridges, roads, canals, dams and buildings...
. Sun played basketball at Tsinghua, becoming a star. He led the Chinese team to a gold medal at the 1921
Far Eastern Championship GamesThe Far Eastern Championship Games was a small Asian multi-sport competition considered to be a precursor to the Asian Games....
.
http://hoopedia.nba.com/index.php?title=Sun_Liren
With a Boxer Rebellion Indemnity Scholarship, he transferred to
Purdue UniversityPurdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six campuses within the Purdue University System...
in the United States to complete his senior year in 1923, where he graduated in 1924. But in the United States, ideological zeal motivated him to dramatically change vocations and pursue a military career instead. China was in the middle of civil war, and Soviet and Japanese invaders seemed poised to devour China. Sun decided that he could better serve his divided nation as a soldier rather than an engineer.
He applied to the
Virginia Military InstituteThe Virginia Military Institute , located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior military colleges in the United States. Unlike any other state military college in the United States, all VMI students are military cadets. VMI offers cadets a...
, also in the United States, lying about his age by four years so that he would appear young enough to meet the school's admissions requirements. He graduated from VMI in 1927 and joined Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek in the Northern Expedition against the warlord generals of the
Beiyang ArmyThe Beiyang Army was a powerful, Western-style Chinese military force created by the Qing Dynasty government in the late 19th century. It was the centerpiece of a general reconstruction of China's military system. The Beiyang Army played a major role in Chinese politics for at least three decades...
. During the Second Sino-Japanese War and the latter war against the Chinese Communists in the
Chinese Civil WarThe Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China . The war began in April 1927, amidst the Northern Expedition,. The war represented an ideological split between the Western-supported Nationalist KMT and the Soviet-supported Communist CPC...
, Sun Li-jen became a highly effective field officer and valued subordinate to Chiang Kai-shek.
Second Sino-Japanese War
Sun was a colonel and led his troop, a Tax Police Regiment, fighting Japanese during the
Battle of ShanghaiThe Battle of Shanghai was the first of the twenty-two major engagements fought between the National Revolutionary Army, Republic of China and the Imperial Japanese Army, Empire of Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War...
in 1937. He was badly wounded by rifle grenade fragments. After recovery from his injury, Sun led his troops back to the front line. Later, the Nationalist government formed National Salt Gabelle Brigade with 8 regiments. Four of the regiments later became New 38th Division with Sun as the Commandering General. His training center was located in
DuyunDuyun is the capital of Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Guizhou province in the People's Republic of China.- Transportation :*China National Highway 210...
in the province of
Guizhou' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...
.
After two years training, Sun's New 38th Division was part of the forces Chiang Kai-shek sent into Burma to protect the
Burma RoadThe Burma Road is a road linking Burma with China. Its terminals are Kunming, Yunnan and Lashio, Burma. When it was built, Burma was a British colony.The road is long and runs through rough mountain country...
under General
Du YumingDu Yuming was a Kuomintang field commander active in the Sino-Japanese War theatre of World War II and in the Chinese Civil War from 1945 to 1949....
. Sun led Chinese forces to the relief of British forces trapped by the Japanese in the
Battle of YenangyaungThe Battle of Yenangyaung was fought in Burma, now Myanmar during the Burma Campaign in World War II. The battle of Yenaungyaung was fought in the vicinity of Yenangyaung and its oil fields....
. Although unable to stop the Japanese from cutting the Burma Road, Sun gained the respect of General William Slim, the Commander of the British 14th Army for his competence. Sun and his division retreated into India and became a part of '
X ForceX Force was the name given to the portion of the Kuomintang Chinese Expeditionary Force that retreated from Burma into India in 1942. Chiang Kai-shek sent troops into Burma from Yunnan in 1942 to assist the British in holding back the Japanese. These Chinese forces became broken up, and in the...
', the Chinese forces under the command of
Joseph StilwellGeneral Joseph Warren Stilwell was a United States Army four-star General best-known for his service in China and Burma...
, the American commander of all American and Chinese forces deployed in the "China Burma India Theater". Sun's division spearheaded Stilwell's 1943 drive to reconquer North Burma and re-establish the land route to China by the
Ledo RoadThe Ledo Road, was built during World War II so that the Western Allies could supply the Chinese as an alternative to the Burma Road which had been cut by the Japanese in 1942. It was renamed the Stilwell Road in early 1945 at the suggestion of Chiang Kai-shek...
.
In Taiwan
As the commander of the Army Training Command and deputy commander of the
Republic of China ArmyThe Republic of China Army is the largest branch of the armed forces of the Republic of China...
in 1947, Sun moved one training facility to Taiwan, independent from the on-going civil war. Sun trained new officers and troops for the Nationalist government, hoping to change the tide of the civil war. The effort was too little too late in comparison with the massive numbers of troops defeated, but one of the division trained (201 Division of the 80th Army) was sent to Quemoy to help defend the communist invasion in 1949. It was the front line defense force against the invasion of the communist troops. Later in 1950, Sun was named the Commander in Chief of the
Republic of China ArmyThe Republic of China Army is the largest branch of the armed forces of the Republic of China...
, while also the commander of the Taiwan Defense Command, and the Army Training Command. Because Sun was well respected by the Americans and rumors had it that the Americans would like to help him into power to replace
Chiang Kai-ShekChiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He was an influential member of the Kuomintang and Sun Yat-sen's close ally. He became the commandant of Kuomintang's Whampoa Military Academy and took Sun's place in the party when the latter died in 1925...
, Chiang and his son
Chiang Ching-kuoChiang Ching-kuo , Kuomintang politician and leader, was the son of President Chiang Kai-shek and held numerous posts in the government of the Republic of China...
were eager to remove him from power. Sun was assigned first as the ceremonial chief military adviser to President Chiang Kai-Shek in June 1954, preventing him from directly controlling any troops. Later in August 1955, he was accused and arrested, charged with attempting to stage a coup against Chiang Kai-shek. He remained under
house arrestIn justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
until exonerated March 20, 1988, shortly after
Chiang Ching-kuoChiang Ching-kuo , Kuomintang politician and leader, was the son of President Chiang Kai-shek and held numerous posts in the government of the Republic of China...
's death. He died in his
TaichungTaichung is a city located in west-central Republic of China with a population of just over one million people, making it the third largest city on the island after Taipei and Kaohsiung. The city presently constitutes a provincial city apart from the adjacent Taichung County...
home at the age of 89 (91 according to the Chinese calendar). His funeral was in full military honor with the presence of the Secretary of Defense. His reputation was cleared in 2001 after a government investigation into the alleged coup attempt.
The
Control YuanThe Control Yuan , one of five branches of the Republic of China government in Taipei, is a watchdog agency that monitors the government...
formally cleared him of charges in January 2001.
http://taipeitimes.com/chnews/2001/01/27/story/0000071269
See also
- s:Open letter to the people of the Republic of China from the cadets, faculty, staff and administration of the Virginia Military Institute
- Chinese Army in India
- Burma Campaign
The Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces against the forces of the Empire of Japan, Thailand, the Burmese Independence Army and the Indian National Army...
- Battle of Yenangyaung
The Battle of Yenangyaung was fought in Burma, now Myanmar during the Burma Campaign in World War II. The battle of Yenaungyaung was fought in the vicinity of Yenangyaung and its oil fields....
(also known as Yenangyaung Rescue Mission)
- Military history of China
Ever since Chinese civilization was founded by the Xia Dynasty , organized military forces have existed throughout China. The recorded military history of China extends from about 2200 BC to the present day...