Soldier of the ‘Lost Army’: Kuomintang Refugee Recalls War Against Communism

An image of Chinese Nationalist Party or Kuomintang cofounder Sun Yat-sen hangs in Cao Wen Biao’s small house.

Cao Wen Biao, a former officer of the Kuomintang's 'lost army,' displays his student identification from a Nationalist university, which he attended before Mao Zedong's communists took control of mainland China. The image in the centre of his ID is of Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek. John Zhang/The Epoch Times

BANGKOK—A faded image of Chinese Nationalist Party or Kuomintang (KMT) cofounder Sun Yat-sen hangs in the kitchen of Mr. Cao Wen Biao’s small house situated in the hills of northern Thailand.

It is now 60 years since Cao fled southern China to avoid the communist campaigns that targeted those who had private property, savings, or land. “It was a terrifying time,” he said.