Sun Li-jen

Sun Li-jen (traditional Chinese: 孫立人; simplified Chinese: 孙立人; pinyin: Sūn Lìrén; art name Chung-neng (仲能; Zhòngnéng); courtesy name Fu-min (撫民; Fǔmín); December 8, 1900 – November 19, 1990) was a Chinese National Revolutionary Army general 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". Sun's commands were credited with effectively confronting Japanese troops in the 1937 Battle of Shanghai and in 1943–1944 during the Burma campaign; his New 1st Army was known as the "Best Army under heaven" (天下第一軍).

A graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, Sun did not have the full confidence of Chiang Kai-shek, possibly because of his foreign military training. He 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 government to Taiwan, he was given only ceremonial roles. He was charged with conspiracy in 1955 and spent 33 years under virtual house arrest, released only after president Chiang Ching-kuo's death in 1988.