This year NTHU has organized several commemoration events to mark the 50^th anniversary of the passing of President Mei Yi-chi. On September 21, The Commemoration of Governor Wu Kuo-Chen and General Sun Li-Jen; a famous civil official and a gallant military officer nurtured at Tsinghua, was held as part of the commemoration in President Mei's honor. The commemoration attracted many distinguished guests from all over the world; several former subordinates of General Sun from around Taiwan and abroad came to share their memories of General Sun.

On this special occasion, Mr. Rong Dooh, the eldest son of General Irving Wu Dooh, who served as the Military Attaché in India, donated important files of the expedition force led by Gernal Sun to NTHU. Mr. Jie Jun, the adopted son of General Sun Li-Jen, donated the Records of the New 1st Army's Counterattacks in Northern Burma to NTHU, as well as photos of the early years of General Sun, and the manuscript of his book Father of Soldiers: A Portrait of General Sun Li-Jen. Moreover, Taiwan Provincial Governor, Mr. Junq-Tzer Lin, stated that his office has maintained a complete record and related documents of Governor Wu Kuo-Cheng and all former governors, and that they would be happy to share it with NTHU.

President Lih J. Chen stated that last year, during the centennial of NTHU, the university not only reviewed the past, but also reflected on the outstanding alumni who had shaped the social development of Taiwan. “President Mei Yi-chi cultivated numerous talents that made outstanding contributions to the political and economic development of Taiwan, and the two of these celebrated alumni served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army in the Office of the President and as the Governor of Taiwan during the critical period when the Nationalist Government retreated to Taiwan.

Following the national government's relocation in Taiwan in 1949, Taiwanese society experienced chaos and turbulence. During this period, these two men played vital roles in politics and military, and constructed a strong foundation for the development of Taiwan.

President Chen further quoted Mencius' and emphasized that a historical person should be understood within his historical context, and we should not blaming them or exaggerating our compliments based on our present standards. During the chaotic era, the lives of Governor Wu and General Sun altered suddenly at the height of their careers; they were both forced to exit political and military stages respectively. President Chen concluded, "A mill cannot grind with water that has already passed." He proposed that, rather than lamenting over the past, NTHU students should aspire to use words and actions to prevent their legacy from turning into ashes. That is, we should strive to prevent past tragedies from repeating.

According to Dr. Fang-Shang Lu, Curator of Academia Historica, Governor Wu entered politics immediately following his return to China from the United States. He served as the Mayor of Hankou City before the Sino-Japanese War, and as the Mayor of Chongqing during the war time, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Mayor of post-war Shanghai, and maintained an intimate relationship with President and Mrs. Chiang Kai-Shek. In 1949, he was appointed as the Governor of Taiwan. Dr. Lu explained that during Governor Wu's term as the Provincial Governor, he was dedicated to promote local self-governance and tax reform. Governor Wu resigned in 1953 following several fierce confrontations with high-level officials about the arrest of dissident. In May 1953, Governor Wu and his wife exiled to the United States.

According to Mr. Ma Jun, the Director of the Modern History, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, Governor Wu Kuo-Cheng was admitted by Tsinghua University at the age of 14 as the youngest among 60 classmates who enrolled at Tsinghua that year. Governor Wu later studied at Princeton University and earned a doctoral degree at the age of 23. Mr. Ma stated "Nankai High School inspired Wu Kuo-Cheng's identification with Western ideas, and Tsinghua University accelerated his understanding of them."

Dr. Jie Jun, a Chemistry Professor at the University of Waterloo, Canada, and the adopted son of General Sun Li-Jen, explained that General Sun had summarized his education at Tsinghua with four words: virtue, intelligence, sport, and teamwork. General Sun's educational philosophy was "abilities are honed through experience; insights are developed in hardship; courage is based on careful planning; and effective strategies rely on information." Dr. Jie further explained that General Sun paid a great deal of attention to education because he considered education is the foundation of national development. He discovered, nurtured and treasured talents for the country and encouraged them to discover other gifted people.

Dr. Hong-Yuan Chu, a researcher at the Institute of Modern History of Academia Sinica, stated that among the numerous White Terror incidents following the 228 Incident, the largest and most comprehensive one was the imprisonment of General Sun and his subordinates. After reviewing relevant investigations, Dr. Chu concluded that General Sun was most unlikely to betray his country as he was accused. "General Sun's spirit will live forever through his descendants, in minds of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and in the history of war," said President Chen.

General Sun Li-Jen graduated from Tsinghua University in 1923, and then he earned another bachelor's degree in civil engineering at Purdue University. However, he was determined to study at a military college and applied to the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), and repeated the junior years. His experience at VMI shaped his fortitude. On August 20, 1955, the Office of the President of R.O.C. issued an order for an investigation and dismissed General Sun from his position of Commander-In-Chief of the Army in the Office of the President. He was charges for participating in his subordinates' attempt to stage a coup d'état, sheltering communist spies, and plotting insubordination. General Sun was given a long-term house arrest and was not released until May 1988. On November 19, 1990, General Sun passed away, and at the funeral, his coffin was covered with the flag of Tsinghua University by Professors Hung Tung, Kan Lee, Chao-Shiuan Liu, and Chang-Hwa Chang. Three of General Sun's children were also alumni of Tsinghua.