A long association with all things Chinese made Joseph Warren Stilwell the perfect candidate to oversee US operations against the Japanese in the China-Burma-India Theater during World War II. Although he's a controversial figure in his homeland, the late general is revered in the countries he helped to defend and liberate, as Zhao Xu reports.

Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of special reports about the WorldWar II experiences of foreigners who either lived or served in China between 1937 and 1945.

He was a four-star general who shunned pomposity. An army commander who at times famously disagreed with his superiors and influential subordinates. A man at once criticized and revered.