The celebration of former American Volunteer Group (AVG) captain Lee Hsueh-yan’s (李學炎) 102nd birthday on Sunday, which turned into something of a state banquet, has revived people’s memories of the spectacular wartime exploits of the former air force major general.
Accompanied by dozens of family members, Lee celebrated his 102nd birthday on Sunday in New Jersey. The celebration was also attended by Representative to the US King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) and Republic of China (ROC) Defense Mission to the US director Li Hsien-sheng (黎賢聖).
On behalf of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Air Force Chief of Staff Major General Liu Chen-wu (劉震武), King and Li presented gifts to wish the retired hero continued longevity and good health.
Photo: Nadia Tsao, Taipei Times
Major General Mike Tien (田在勱), who now serves as a consultant to King, also shared with Lee’s family his rich collection of historical materials pertaining to the legendary AVG, widely known as “the Flying Tigers.”
With scores of medals of honor to his name, Lee stepped out of the limelight in 1968, when he retired from military service as a major general.
Lee’s name was brought into the spotlight again in January, after one of his sons, Wei-Ping Andrew Lee (李為平), a US-based surgeon, made headlines for leading a high-profile double arm transplant on a 26-year-old US army infantryman who lost all his limbs in Iraq.
Deemed “living history,” Lee Hsueh-yan was involved in several defining moments in the nation’s past.
Following the conclusion of the Xian Incident in 1936, Lee Hsueh-yan was instructed to transport former Chinese premier Zhou Enlai (周恩來), who was then the Chinese Communist Party’s representative, from Yanan, in China’s Shananxi Province, to Xian to meet with Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) on the possibility of negotiating a temporary truce amid the Japanese invasion.
During World War II, Lee Hsueh-yan also led the first Bombardment Squadron of the Chinese-American Composite Wing in launching an air-raid attack on Nov.25, 1943 on a Japanese airfield in Shinchiku — in what is now Hsinchu — destroying 42 Japanese aircraft.
However, in addition to the former major general’s dedication to the nation, the Ma administration’s sudden interest in him is also thought to be politically motivated, in part by China’s apparent effort to latch onto the history of the Flying Tigers.
In recent years, China has sought to interview family members of deceased AVG members and collect historical materials regarding the volunteer air units, which were organized by the US government to assist Chiang’s government in fighting off Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
China’s perceived attempt to incorporate the unit into its own history has allegedly irritated the ROC Air Force, which is said to be countering by holding a celebration in Hsinchu on Nov. 25 to mark the 70th anniversary of the unit’s Japanese base attack.
Another factor is said to be Taiwanese sovereignty, because Lee Hsueh-yan’s air raid victory coincided with the Cairo Conference in Cairo, Egypt, between Nov. 22 and Nov. 26, 1943. The Cairo Declaration, which demanded that Japan cede territories including Taiwan (Formosa) and Penghu (the Pescadores) to the ROC, is the basis for the ROC government’s sovereignty claim over Taiwan.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or