In 1929, Liem returned home to
the Dutch East Indies. The colonial authorities were initially reluctant to allow him to settle back in his homeland due to Liem's perceived leftist sympathies. His return was eventually facilitated by character references given by a number of community leaders, including the
parliamentarian Loa Sek Hie. Liem was obliged not to engage in political activities. At first, he was also compelled to stay at Loa's residence in
Menteng before eventually being allowed to return home to Semarang. His work can be divided into two periods: his
pre- and post-Second World War work. His pre-war work was influenced by
the Amsterdam School, but he was always respectful of the tropical environment. His interiors betrayed the influence of the
Arts and Crafts Movement, as well as the vocabulary of Chinese decorative traditions. A lot of his buildings before the Second World War were commissioned by prominent members of the '
Cabang Atas', or the established Chinese elite of colonial Indonesia. These included the politician
Loa Sek Hie; the businessman
Oei Tjong Hauw, son of Asia's wealthiest tycoon
Majoor Oei Tiong Ham; their family company, the powerful multinational corporation
Kian Gwan; the politician
Han Tiauw Tjong and the landlord
Tan Liok Tiauw. His work was interrupted by the
Japanese Occupation, after which he moved yet again to
Batavia. His post-war work included many state commissions for the newly independent
Republic of Indonesia. Many of these new commissions were of national scale and importance, and reflect a minimalist kind of functionalism and sensibility. In 1959, Liem, together with
Friedrich Silaban and other pioneering architects founded the
Ikatan Arsitek Indonesia, or the Indonesian Institute of Architects. In 1965, he left Indonesia for the Netherlands with his family in order to ensure a good education for his daughters. During his trip there, Liem fell ill and died in
Rijswijk in on July 28, 1966. ==Selected works==