Sun Li-jen

Sun Li-jen
孫立人
Sun Li-jen
Commander of the Republic of China Army
In office
March 1950 – June 1954
Preceded byGu Zhutong
Succeeded byHuang Chieh
Personal details
Born(1900-12-08)December 8, 1900
Jinnu Town, Lujiang Prefecture, Anhui, Qing China
(present-day Lujiang County, Chaohu, Anhui, China)
DiedNovember 19, 1990(1990-11-19) (aged 89)
Taichung, Taiwan
Alma materVirginia Military Institute
Awards Order of the Cloud and Banner with Special Cravat

Companion of the Order of the Bath (U.K.)
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (U.K.)
Officer of the Legion of Merit (U.S.)

Order of Blue Sky and White Sun
Nickname"Rommel of the East"
Military service
Allegiance Republic of China
Branch/service National Revolutionary Army
Years of service1927–1955
Rank General
CommandsTax Police Regiment
New 38th Division
New First Army
Republic of China Army
Battles/wars
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Sun Li-jen (traditional Chinese: 孫立人; simplified Chinese: 孙立人; pinyin: Sūn Lìrén; December 8, 1900 – November 19, 1990[citation needed]) was a Chinese Nationalist (KMT) general, a graduate of Virginia Military Institute in the United States, best known for his leadership in the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War. His military achievements earned him the laudatory nickname "Rommel of the East".[1] His New First Army was known as the "Best Army under heaven" and credited with effectively confronting Japanese troops in the 1937 Battle of Shanghai and in the Burma Campaign, 1943–1944.

Perhaps because of his foreign military training, he did not have the full confidence of Chiang Kai-shek. Sun was relieved of battle command in the Chinese Civil War in 1946, and although he was made Commander in Chief in 1950 after the retreat of the Nationalist central government to Taiwan, he was given only ceremonial roles. He was charged with conspiracy in 1955 and spent his last thirty years under virtual house arrest.

He was also known as Sun Chung-neng (仲能; Zhòngnéng; "Chung-neng" being his art name) and had the courtesy name Fu-min (撫民; Fǔmín).

  1. ^ "2016-2017 - News - Virginia Military Institute". www.vmi.edu. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.