Li Zongren (Li Tsung-jen)

Chinese politician, 1890-1969

Li Zongren was a prominent Guangxi warlord and Kuomintang (KMT) military commander during the Northern Expedition, Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War. He served as vice-president and acting president of the Republic of China under the 1947 Chinese Constitution. After Guangdong fell to the Communists, Li surrendered his powers and flew to New York for treatment of his chronic duodenum illness. He remained in exile until July 20, 1965, when he caused a sensation by returning to Communist-held China with the support of Zhou Enlai.