Known as the "Rommel of the East," visit the former residence of General Sun Li-jen in Taichung.

Text and photos byXavier Yuan Chuangzhu Yi

I lived in Taichung for five years during my student days but never visited Sun Li-jen’s former residence. This time, I made a special trip to see the home of General Sun, which is now also known as the General Sun Li-jen Memorial Hall.The visit took place on the 11th of this month, a Sunday. Please note that Sun Li-jen’s former residence is not open every day or every Sunday. It is only open on the second Sunday of each month and requires a reservation with the Cultural Assets Division of the Taichung City Government. Visitors should take special care to avoid disappointment.

Although it is called a former residence or memorial hall, this large Japanese-style bungalow and garden was actually where Sun Li-jen was placed under house arrest during his lifetime. For over 30 years, he was confined here under strict surveillance and control due to “political reasons,” effectively a prisoner with no freedom, until his release in 1988.

The main gate of Sun Li-jen’s former residence. Entry is through this gate.

The other side gate

Since we’re here, it’s only natural to first learn about Sun Li-jen’s life. Xavier has long studied the history of the Nationalist Army and has read a lot of material on General Sun. He is certainly no stranger to Sun Li-jen and the New 1st Army he led. The only thing missing was seeing many of the physical artifacts in person, and I’ve always wanted to write an article introducing this history.

It is recommended that those planning to visit first read some information about Sun Li-jen, so they can gain a deeper appreciation when viewing the site. In addition to sharing artifacts from Sun Li-jen’s former residence, this article will also provide some background on Sun Li-jen’s past and analysis. For those who prefer not to delve into too much complex text, reading this article alone will suffice.

Who exactly was Sun Li-jen? Many young people in Taiwan today might not even recognize his name, let alone know the details of his life. Not long ago, a legislator even showed the wrong photo during a parliamentary session. In short, Sun Li-jen led a life full of legend, with great ups and downs. He is the only general in the history of the Nationalist Army to receive high praise from the West and was called the “Rommel of the East” (Note 1), yet his later life was plagued by suffering due to “politics.”

Note 1. Rommel was a famous German general during World War II, who dealt heavy blows to the Allies in the North African theater.

General Sun Li-jen

First, let me introduce Sun Li-jen’s life story:

Unlike many Nationalist generals who graduated from the Whampoa Military Academy, Sun Li-jen graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in the United States and also held a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Purdue University. He had deep ties with the United States. As a young man, he excelled academically and in sports, serving as a guard on the national basketball team in 1922 and leading the team to victory over Japan and the Philippines at the Far Eastern Championship Games.

In 1937, Sun Li-jen led the 4th Tax Police Regiment in the Battle of Shanghai, where he was once critically wounded by Japanese artillery fire and barely survived after emergency treatment. In 1942, when the Chinese Expeditionary Force entered Burma, Sun Li-jen led the newly formed 38th Division (originally the Smuggling Suppression Corps) into battle. During the Battle of Yenangyaung, he ordered the 113th Regiment under Liu Fangwu to rescue the besieged British forces. They ultimately repelled the superior Japanese army and successfully rescued 7,000 British soldiers, shaking the world. This was the first victory for the Chinese Expeditionary Force in Burma, and the name Sun Li-jen became internationally renowned.

Later, during the second Burma Campaign to retake northern Burma, Sun Li-jen played a significant role and was promoted to commander of the New 1st Army. His New 1st Army, with fewer than 20,000 casualties, annihilated over 100,000 Japanese troops, making it a top-tier unit of the Nationalist Army. After the end of the War of Resistance against Japan, they marched into the Chinese Civil War.

In 1946, the highly anticipated Battle of Siping broke out in Northeast China. The Nationalist Army and the Northeast Democratic Allied Army (the name for the Northeast Communist Army) reached a stalemate. Chiang Kai-shek (Jiang Zhongzheng) urgently recalled Sun Li-jen, who was attending a conference in the United States. After reorganizing the deployment, Sun captured Siping—which had been stubbornly defended by Zheng Dongguo—within just three days. He personally led the New 1st Army in pursuit of Lin Biao’s retreating forces, with the New 1st Army even crossing the Songhua River at one point.

Just as the situation favored the Nationalist Army, U.S. envoy George Marshall urgently intervened to mediate, leading to another ceasefire between the Communists and Nationalists. The following year, the 50th Division of the New 1st Army repelled a several times larger Communist force during the Battle of Dehui, with Sun Li-jen personally leading reinforcements. This battle boosted his reputation during the civil war.

Originally, the New 1st Army was the primary target of the Communists in the Northeast. But after the Battle of Dehui, a saying circulated within the Communist ranks:“As long as we don’t fight the New 1st Army, we’re not afraid of the Central Army’s million troops.”This remark shows how highly they regarded the combat strength of the New 1st Army trained by Sun Li-jen, considering it a formidable force.

Unfortunately, due to conflicts between Sun Li-jen and Chiang Kai-shek’s favored general Du Yuming during the Northeast campaign, Chiang eventually “promoted” Sun Li-jen while stripping him of power. Officially, he was promoted to Deputy Commander of the Northeast Security Command, but in reality, he was deprived of military authority. At the time, during an interview with reporters in the Northeast, Sun Li-jen appeared quite helpless, unable to fulfill his ambitions.

Soon after, Sun Li-jen left the Northeast and was again promoted to Vice Commander-in-Chief of the Army. He decided to relocate the Army Training Department to Taiwan, focusing entirely on training new recruits, thus beginning his connection with Taiwan. Unfortunately, in 1955, the “Guo Tingliang Spy Case” erupted. At the time serving as Chief of General Staff, Sun Li-jen resigned amid the scandal and has since been under house arrest at his Taichung residence for over 30 years until he regained his freedom after the death of Chiang Ching-kuo in 1988.

The “Guo Tingliang Case” remains shrouded in mystery even decades later. What is certain is that, including Xavier, many

From the perspective of those in power, this undoubtedly threatened Chiang Kai-shek's authority and challenged his leadership — a major taboo in the political arena. Chiang also expressed his dissatisfaction with Sun Li-jen in his diaries. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Sun Li-jen Incident would later emerge.

As for the role the U.S. government actually played at the time, there has been much speculation, and rumors have long circulated that the U.S. intended to cultivate Sun Li-jen or even sought to incite him to launch a mutiny. Due to the extremely high political sensitivity of the case, the U.S. government maintained a low profile and was reluctant to offer much commentary, leaving many aspects still shrouded in mystery.

This is a famous photograph: Chiang Kai-shek is in the center at the back, Sun Li-jen is on the left, and MacArthur is on the right. Observing the warm interaction between the two, Chiang, standing at the back, must have felt somewhat displeased.

When it comes to Sun Li-jen, the public often focuses on his relationships with the United States and Chiang Kai-shek, as well as his military achievements. In fact, Sun Li-jen’s "personality" is also worth exploring. Xavier believes that Sun’s loyalty to the country, his ideals, and his military talent are beyond doubt and truly admirable.

But his straightforward and blunt personality led to poor interpersonal relationships, making him prone to offending others and becoming a catalyst for many problems. For instance, back in the Northeast, if Sun Li-jen had maintained a better relationship with Du Yuming, perhaps he wouldn’t have been sidelined so quickly. Of course, given how rapidly the situation in the Northeast deteriorated afterward, it’s also possible that even if Sun Li-jen had stayed in the region, he might not have escaped unscathed—though that’s a story for another time.

Next, we begin our visit to the former residence of Sun Li-jen:

Outside the memorial hall

The main entrance to the Sun Li-jen Memorial Hall (former residence).

Due to Mrs. Sun’s Buddhist faith, these two little novice monks outside were gifted by Fo Guang Shan.

Why is it called the “General’s Roses”? During Sun Li-jen’s house arrest, all his salary was revoked, and at one point, he and his family made a living by selling roses at the market. One can only imagine his feelings as he grew and sold flowers back then.

The backyard garden. It’s said that on an adjacent building (not captured in this photo), a machine gun was once mounted, likely a precautionary measure taken by the authorities at the time to prevent a potential U.S. government rescue attempt for Sun Li-jen.

Inside the memorial hall

Upon entering, you’ll see this portrait of Sun Li-jen, painted by Liu Bingjiang, which is one of the three treasured items in the museum.

The main hall and corridors.

The main hall of Sun Li-jen’s former residence. According to guides, many hidden listening devices were found during renovation work. Frankly, this isn’t surprising—while Sun Li-jen was usually allowed to go out, he was constantly under surveillance, and even traveling to other counties required prior approval.

The kitchen

The bathroom

The interior corridor

Over a decade ago, when Sun Li-jen looked out the window, he must have often reflected deeply on his military past with great emotion.

This bedroom houses many artifacts related to Sun Li-jen and the New 1st Army. There’s also an explanatory map on the wall. During his house arrest, the curtains on the windows had to remain open until a certain time each day.

Sun Li-jen’s military uniforms—some were gifts from his alma mater, the Virginia Military Institute in the United States.

The Buddhist shrine

Please note the four elephant-leg chairs in the bottom right corner—they are one of the three treasured items in the museum. In the center is a bronze statue of Sun Li-jen, behind which hangs the flag of the New 1st Army, and in front there is also a saddle.

On September 19, 2016, this article is respectfully dedicated to General Sun Li-jen.

General Sun Li-jen Memorial Hall
Address: No. 18, Section 1, Xiangshang Road, West District, Taichung City
Opening hours:Every second Sunday of the month, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Online reservation:http://culturalvolunteer.tchac.taichung.gov.tw/public/
Phone: 04-22290280 ext. 510

Article authorized from Xavier Yuan Chuangism
Blog
facebook