Xu Yongchang, courtesy name Cichen, was born in 1889 in Guo County, Shanxi. He passed away in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1959. As World War II came to an end, on September 2, 1945, General Douglas MacArthur presided over the surrender ceremony of the Japanese Empire aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Representatives from Allied nations gathered to sign the Instrument of Surrender. Xu Yongchang, serving as the head of the Chinese delegation, was the official signatory for China. Standing behind him was General MacArthur himself. After signing, Xu presented the pen he had used, along with the surrender document, to the government of the Republic of China, marking the historic moment.
An orphaned boy finds refuge in the Qing army
Xu Yongchang was born into a rural family. His father later became a merchant, and the family relocated to Datong. A bright and diligent student, he began studying at a private school at the age of seven. However, misfortune struck in 1900 — his mother passed away in June, followed by his father in October. That same year, during the chaos of the Boxer Rebellion and the Eight-Nation Alliance’s occupation of Beijing, the orphaned Xu Yongchang was taken in by Xu Chunling, a secretary in the Qing army’s Wuwei Left Division. Xu Chunling sympathized with the boy’s plight and allowed him to serve in the camp. In 1906, he officially enrolled Xu Yongchang into the military.
Despite his difficult circumstances, Xu remained eager to learn. During a bout of typhoid fever, he recovered at Xu Chunling’s home, where he discovered and became engrossed in the Zuo Zhuan, a historical chronicle of the Spring and Autumn period. From then on, he dedicated his spare time to studying, developing a particular fondness for historical texts.
A bridge between military leaders
After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Xu Yongchang pursued further studies at the Army University and later became an instructor in Zhili Province. In 1928, he served under Yan Xishan and participated in the Northern Expedition, later holding key positions as the chairman of Suiyuan Province and Shanxi Province. By this time, Xu had already become an essential intermediary between Chiang Kai-shek and Yan Xishan. He was frequently entrusted with delicate negotiations, including multiple efforts to dissuade General Fu Zuoyi, the military governor of Beiping (now Beijing), from aligning with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Representing China at the World War II surrender ceremony
By the end of World War II, China, as one of the major Allied powers, was preparing to formally accept Japan’s surrender. On August 12, 1945, Chiang Kai-shek and Xu Yongchang traveled to the Philippines to meet with General MacArthur and discuss the surrender terms. Three days later, on August 15, U.S. Secretary of State James Byrnes announced Japan’s unconditional surrender via radio broadcast.
On the day of the surrender ceremony, Xu Yongchang documented the event in his diary:
“According to protocol, the Chinese delegation was the first to board the ship, accompanied by a military band. Representatives from the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, and other Allied nations followed. At precisely 9:00 AM, the Japanese delegation arrived. General MacArthur delivered a brief speech, and the ceremony officially commenced. The representatives stood in their assigned order: the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, facing the Japanese delegates across the table…”
After the signing, Xu Yongchang addressed the press, delivering a powerful statement:
“Today is a day of reflection. Every nation represented here should take a moment to look back. If one’s conscience acknowledges past mistakes, then one must have the courage to admit them and seek redemption.”
The Communist takeover and betrayal of China
In 1948, as the Chinese Civil War escalated, Xu Yongchang was appointed Minister of National Defense, tasked with coordinating the nation’s fragmented military forces. On January 21, 1949, after Chiang Kai-shek announced his temporary retirement, he entrusted Xu with delivering a personal letter to Fu Zuoyi, urging him not to waver in his resistance against the CCP. Months later, on September 17, Chiang personally telegraphed Xu, warning about the Communist Party’s deceptions and relaying his own painful lessons, instructing him to convey a final plea to Fu Zuoyi.
But the warnings went unheeded. Fu Zuoyi surrendered, leading 500,000 troops to defect to the CCP. The Communist forces swiftly took over Beiping, tightening their grip on China and setting the stage for decades of suffering under their rule.
As the tides of history shifted, Xu Yongchang, a man who had served his country with unwavering loyalty, was forced to flee to Taiwan. There, he continued to serve in a diminished capacity, but the China he had once fought for was lost. He passed away in Taipei in 1959, witnessing firsthand the devastation wrought by the Communist Party’s rise to power.
Translated by Chua BC
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