The former residence of general Sun Li-jen (孫立人) has become the first building in Taichung to be designated as a commemorative building under the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act (文化資產保存法).
The residence is a Japanese-style single-story house with a garden, where Sun lived for 33 years, the Taichung Cultural Heritage Department said.
It was designated a historic building by the Taichung City Government in 2002, it said.
Photo provided by Taichung Cultural Heritage Department
After commemorative buildings were added to the act as a new cultural heritage category in 2016, the city’s cultural heritage review committee decided to change the registration of the building from a historic to a commemorative building to highlight Sun’s importance to Taiwanese history, it said.
Sun was one of the few high-ranking military officers in Taiwan at the time who graduated from a military college in the US, the agency said.
During World War II, he assisted the US and England, and contributed to the Allied forces’ victory during the Burma Campaign, it said.
Sun was also one of few foreign officers to be named a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, it said.
The Sun Li-jen Memorial Hall (孫立人將軍紀念館) was established by Sun’s family and former subordinates inside the residence, the agency said, adding that the memorial hall exhibits manuscripts, photographs and other items from Sun’s life.
The residence is open on the second and fourth Sundays of every month, and reservations for visits and tours can be made on the department’s Web site, the agency added.
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