Ch'ien Mu - Life in Taiwan

Life in Taiwan

Ch'ien relocated to Taiwan in October 1967 after accepting an invitation from the then President Chiang Kai-shek in response to the Hong Kong 1967 Leftist Riots. He was given land in Waishuangxi in the Shilin District to build his home Sushulou (素書樓) while continuing as a freelance academic researching and giving lectures at universities in Taiwan. Ch'ien retired from teaching in 1984. After becoming one of the three constituent colleges of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, in 1978 New Asia College inauguated the Ch'ien Mu Lectures in his honor.

On June 1, 1990 the then Legislative Yuan members Chen Shui-bian (later the 10th and 11th President of the Republic of China) and Chou Po-lun, both of the Democratic Progressive Party (Taiwan) espousing the Taiwan Independence Movement, had accused Chien of occupying public land as the nature of gifting the land for Xushulau by Chiang Kai-shek was deemed to be illegal by Chen and Chou. Ch'ien and his wife moved out of Xushulau and relocated to a high-rise apartment in downtown Taipei City.

Ch'ien died on August 30 of 1990 a little less than three months after being forced to move out of Xushulau. Many of Chien's supporters, including his former students and many members of the public, have condemned the practice Chen and Chou of using Chien for scoring political points against the KMT which they believed caused his unnecessarily early death. Both Chen and Chou have since apologized for the damages of their accusations towards Chien, and Xushulau is now the location of the Chien Mu Memorial.