b'Part Two:Forging Futures andLih Chiens Visionary LeadershipChapter 1:Army Ordnance School in Hualien, TaiwanRelocation Amidst TurmoilWhen Lih Chien served as the principal of the Army Ordnance School () in the autumn of 1948, the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party had reached its tipping point. The Peoples Liberation Army secured victory in all three major battles that were fought in northern China and was continuing its advance southward; the defeat of Nationalist forces on the mainland seemed inevitable if not imminent. As such, plans were drawn for a massive retreat to Taiwan in order to regroup and reorganize. Alongside hundreds of thousands of military personnel, the KMT specifically called for scholars to join the exodus away from Commu-nist-occupied territory. In November of that year, Chien was ordered to relocate hundreds of teachers and students still loyal to the Nationalist government to the Taiwan straits. After a few months of planning followed by a successful relocation, the Ordnance School reopened in Hualien, a small city on the east coast of Taiwan in January of 1949. The Quest for Excellence in EducationDue to the remote location of Hualien, it was not easy to hire good teach-ers at first. Chien, who always believed that having excellent teachers is one of the important factors for a successful education, took it upon himself to recruit the most qualified, competent teachers available by personally visit-ing them, something he would continue to do for the rest of his career in ed-ucation. His sincerity moved many experts and scholars to accept his offers and help cultivate countless talents for the country.21'