nst Japan during World War II, has died in Taiwan, a newspaper reported on Monday. He was 103. Sun died at his home in Taipei on May 25, the United Daily News quoted his son Sun Hsiang-chung as saying. His body was cremated on Saturday, the report said.
Sun's family did not release details of his death until after the cremation, local media said.
The Nationalists led China from the 1920s until their defeat at the hands of Mao Zedong's Communists in 1949.
Born in China's Sichuan province in 1904, Sun joined the Nationalist army at the age of 19 and was among the most celebrated graduates of the prestigious Huangpu Military Academy founded by Chiang in Guangdong Province.
He came to prominence confronting Japanese efforts to gain a foothold in the Shanghai region in the 1930s.
Sun led the Nationalists in a crucial battle to beat back Japanese naval forces attacking Shanghai in 1932.
He led another famous battle in the city in 1937, holding onto the Nationalist base for 76 days despite heavy casualties.
Despite Sun's achievements, many historians have criticized the Nationalist performance during World War II, saying poor and ineffectual leadership and widespread corruption helped allow Japan to take control of wide swathes of the Chinese mainland.
Some of the historians say Chiang refused to deploy his best troops, holding them back for use against the Communists after Japan's defeat.
During that civil conflict, Sun lost a crucial battle in 1948 when more than half a million Nationalist troops were killed in eastern Jiangsu Province.
Partly because of the defeat, Sun retired shortly after he followed Chiang in his retreat to Taiwan in 1949.
Local media said Sun was survived by five sons.
