Liu, Bernard

Bernard Liu is a retired civil engineer who grew up in China and Taiwan. He emigrated to the United States in 1963 and later spent the bulk of his career designing large hydroelectric projects in Caracas, Venezuela. He lives in Virginia with his wife.

In his memoir, Bernard Liu shares his story of growing up with China's most famous political prisoner, General Zhang Xueliang, during the first twenty-five years of his house arrest. Between 1936 and 1962, Zhang Xueliang lived in the Liu family compound—ten locations in ten years in mainland China and two locations in fifteen years in Taiwan. The author ate meals with Zhang Xueliang, heard his stories and jokes, played poker and card games with him, and witnessed twenty-five years of his life that were largely unknown to the public.