A retrospective exhibition concerning late commander-in-chief of the Republic of China Army Sun Li-jen (孫立人) opened yesterday at the Taiwan Army Club in Taipei, attended by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), who stressed the importance of transitional justice.
Historians have called Sun the greatest Chinese military officer of the 20th century.
A graduate of the US’ Virginia Military Institute, Sun led New 38th Division troops to battle victories over the Japanese Imperial Army in Burma during World War II and was respected by US and British commanders. He became commander-in-chief of the ROC Army in 1950.
He was placed under house arrest in Taipei in August 1955 by Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), who accused him of launching a coup, and he remained under house arrest until March 1988, following the death of then-president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國).
In 2014, the Control Yuan cleared Sun of the allegation he was involved in a coup attempt.
The Taiwan Army Club, where Sun lived for about seven years, is being transformed into an art center called Sun Li-jen’s General Residence.
“Sun was a prestigious general of the era,” Ker said, lamenting the decades Sun spent under house arrest due to political prosecution.
When people are talking about transitional justice, it is imperative they reflect on Sun’s prosecution, Ker added.
The memorial residence is operated by Art Go as a “rebuild-operate-transfer” project.
Art Go said it plans to transform the building into a multifunctional artistic space and to continue operating its restaurant.
The exhibition, which runs through June 6, presents many historic photographs, many of which were taken and collected by Lo Chao-chun (羅超群), the photographer of Sun’s military entourage.
To exhibit the work, Art Go said it obtained the authorization of Lo’s son, Lo Kuang-jen (羅廣仁).
Lo Chao-chun risked his life to protect the precious pictures during the White Terror era, Lo Kuang-jen said, referring to the suppression of political dissidents during the Martial Law era from 1949 to 1987.
Art Go said it hopes to make Sun’s story, as well as the concomitant events, known to more people.
“This is a static exhibit, but if people become more interested in Sun, we can develop more sophisticated activities,” Art Go central executive officer Nel Lu (呂昌熙) said.
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
RSS