Chang Li-sheng

In 1924, Chang returned to China and became a member of the KMT. In 1927, in the midst of

Political rise

In 1931, Chang was elected the first standing member of the KMT central executive committee, marking his rise within the KMT party hierarchy. Between 1932 and 1935, he was in charge of KMT's party affairs in North China. He played a crucial role in bringing together local Chinese military leaders at the moment when the KMT was facing growing Japanese military encroachments. As KMT's special representative in Tianjin and a member of the Hebei Provincial Government, Chang brokered a military pact with several heavyweight North Chinese military leaders, including Song Zheyuan (宋哲元), Qin Dechun (秦德純), Shang Zhen (商震), and Yu Xuezhong (于學忠). This pact assured the military support from the North Chinese regional leaders to the Nanjing-based Nationalist central government under Chiang Kai-shek, who was having difficulties maintaining the Nationalist position in North China. In 1936, Chiang appointed Chang to head the KMT Department of Organization. After the all-out Japanese invasion of China in July 1937, Chang was further appointed to several key positions within the party and the government. It was at the initial stage of the war against Japan that Chang gradually distanced himself from the powerful C.C. Clique and instead began working closely with General Chen Cheng, then Governor of Hubei Province, in launching anti-Communist campaigns in the KMT-controlled areas.

In spring 1944, Chiang Kai-shek asked Chang for a strategy as to how to prepare for the retrocession of Taiwan after the defeat of Japan. In December 1944, Chang was made Minister of Interior. After the Japanese surrendered in August 1945, he became a member of the KMT delegation to participate in the Political Consultative Conference to discuss with the Chinese Communist counterparts about China's postwar reconstruction. In 1948, in the heat of the Chinese civil war, Chang became Vice Premier of the ROC government, burdened with such challenging and difficult tasks as national resources relocations, currency reforms, anti-inflations, and anti-corruptions.

The Taiwan years

In 1949, the KMT was on the losing side of the

Chang Li-sheng's belief in straight living gave him difficult years before he died from lung malfunctioning in April 1971. He refused government funds for special care after retiring from official post. Chang was born into a poor family. By the time of his death, Chang remained a relatively poor man; his dentist friend brought him an electric heater to make his last days somewhat more comfortable. He left his wife and eight children and an impeccable reputation as one of

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