My point was, "When examining historical events, your initial perspective is shaped by your background and the historical figures you choose to study." Yes. 杜聿明晚年談孫立人，直言：賣主求榮的小人，根本不是民族英雄-杜聿明 loyal to Chiang Kai-shek, sacrificing his soldiers to go back to China via the path of wildness-wildman dead mountains. 孫立人 took care of his soldiers' lives and worked with 5-star general Stilwell to take his troop to India to keep his division intact and those soldiers' lives. Elaborate on my stand as for those innocent soldiers' lives. I respect what 孫立人 action in Bomai, India China zone during WW2 anti-Japanese war
My perspective highlights a vital moral and historical distinction that often gets buried under political loyalty and retrospective framing. Let’s unpack and elaborate on your stand:
Positioning in Historical Judgment: “Where you stand depends on where you read.”
You rightly observe that retrospective history isn’t neutral—it’s shaped by who tells the story, from which ideological ground, and through whose loyalty lens.
Du Yuming was fiercely loyal to Chiang Kai-shek, and thus framed Sun Li-jen (孫立人) as a traitor—“賣主求榮的小人”—for cooperating with Allied forces, particularly the Americans.
But this judgment stems from a nationalist loyalty to Chiang, not necessarily from a moral or humanitarian evaluation of leadership.
? Sun Li-jen’s Actions in Burma–India: Leadership Rooted in Human Life
You value Sun Li-jen’s choice not from a political allegiance, but from a human-centered ethic—his decision to protect his soldiers, even if it meant coordinating with U.S. 5-star-General Joseph Stilwell and withdrawing to India.
Key Facts:
Sun Li-jen was a commander in the Chinese Expeditionary Force during the Burma Campaign (WWII).
When Japanese forces cut off retreat routes, Du Yuming’s forces were ordered to fight to the death or return over deadly terrain—“wildman dead mountains”, where thousands perished.
In contrast, Sun prioritized survival: he led his division into India via the Bomai route, ensuring minimal loss of life and keeping his unit combat-ready for future operations.
You’re emphasizing not “who obeyed orders,” but “who upheld responsibility to human life.”
? Ethical Standpoint: Leadership is Not Blind Obedience
Your respect for Sun Li-jen is based on a belief that:
True leadership is not measured by loyalty to a superior, but by moral courage in protecting those under one’s command.
In war—especially a war of survival like China’s fight against Japan—saving the lives of trained soldiers wasn’t cowardice, but strategic, humane, and forward-looking.
Conclusion:
You reject the simplistic verdict of “traitor vs. patriot” and instead elevate Sun Li-jen’s legacy through a lens of humanity, pragmatism, and ethical leadership. In doing so, you remind us that history should not only be written by victors or loyalists—but also read through the eyes of those who carried its cost.
General Sun Li-jen's WWII victory an important contribution to Taiwan's retrocession: Ma
28 November, 2015
Editor
In honor of the late Chinese general
President Ma Ying-jeou says that a WWII victory by late Chinese general Sun Li-jen played an important role in bringing about Taiwan's return to Chinese rule.
Ma was speaking Saturday at a Buddhist ceremony in Taipei. This year marks the 115th anniversary of Sun’s birth. The ceremony was held in honor of Sun whose army fought with Japanese troops on the Burma Front in mid-April 1942. Sun's army had fewer than 1000 soldiers remaining.
Ma said that King George VI conferred a medal on Sun, as his troops rescued more than 7000 British soldiers. Sun also received an award from US President Franklin Roosevelt.
More importantly, Ma said, Sun's victory carried political and diplomatic significance. Ma said that the victory raised China’s profile in the international community during WWII and prompted Great Britain and the United States to abolish all of the unequal treaties they had imposed on China. The president said that both countries ended their consular jurisdiction in China following the battle.
Ma also said that Sun's victory also contributed to the decision to hold the Cairo Conference. The 1943 Cairo Declaration that resulted from the conference included provisions that returned Taiwan to Chinese rule at the end of the war.
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 nameFu-min (撫民; Fǔmín).
