The Memoirs of Li Zongren (Volumes 1 and 2)

Author: Li Zongren, Tang Degang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1995-12-01
Features: Li Zongren (1890813—1969130), styled Delin. He was a First-Class General of the National Revolutionary Army of China, the leader of the Gui clique within the Kuomintang, and served as Vice President and Acting President of the Republic of China. Li Zongren had an early military background. As a powerful military figure, he joined Sun Yat-sen's camp in Guangzhou. Later, he cooperated with Bai Chongxi and Huang Shaohong to unify Guangxi, making it a part of the Kuomintang's rear area. During the Northern Expedition, he led the Guangxi army from Hunan to Shanhaiguan. After the Northern Expedition, for a decade, he repeatedly launched and participated in civil wars within the Kuomintang but also diligently managed his Guangxi stronghold. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, he mobilized Guangxi troops to fight against Japan and directed multiple major battles, gaining fame for the Battle of Tai'erzhuang. In 1948, after the Kuomintang's constitutional reforms, he was elected Vice President. After Chiang Kai-shek's resignation, he once served as Acting President, attempting to save the Kuomintang's rule through peace talks but failing. Later, he fled to the United States but ultimately "returned home with the falling leaves," returning to mainland China and dying in Beijing. This resume is sufficient to demonstrate that Li Zongren was a rather important figure in modern Chinese history. To understand and study the formation and evolution of the Gui clique warlords in modern China, the complex factional struggles within the Kuomintang, or even many important domestic and foreign policies of modern China, Li Zongren represents an indispensable aspect.