Spurring on Horses to China

On September 20, 1952, President Chiang Kai-shek went to the military academy in Fengshan, Kaohsiung to review the students and preside over the opening ceremony for the first class of cadets. Accompanying him was General Sun Li-jen, commander-in-chief of the army, and Lt. Gen. Lo Yu-lun, superintendent of the military academy.
In the picture, cadets in the cavalry are in full battle array and in powerful and impressive array, waiting to be reviewed. President Chiang sat on a slow-moving car that had five stars in the front. This was the era of intense focus on fighting their way back to the mainland. Given that some places in China did not have more modern transportation which would necessitate the use of horses and given that a cavalry is much more effective than ground troops in battle, a cavalry unit was started at the school and was to be the backbone of the national cavalry unit.