High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Nationalist Party of China Army Officer Academy, commonly known as the Whampoa Military Academy, was a military academy in the Republic of China (ROC) that produced many prestigious commanders who fought in many of China's conflicts in the 20th century, notably the Northern Expedition, the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War. The military academy was officially opened on June 16, 1924 under the Kuomintang (KMT), but the first lessons began on May 1, 1924. The inauguration was on Changzhou Island offshore from the Whampoa dock in Guangzhou, thus earning its common name. During the inaugural ceremonies, Sun Yat-sen delivered a speech that was later to become the lyrics of the national anthem of the Republic of China.