Free China Journal

Called Free China (Chinese自由 中国 半月刊, Pinyin Ziyou Zhongguo Bànyùekān ) also briefly Ziyou Zhongguo (自由 中国), was a 1949-1960 twice a month in the Republic of China ( Taiwan) published magazine.

Tasks and objectives

The first issue of the magazine, whose editor Hu Shi and its editor Lei Zhen belonged to the so-called liberal opposition at that time, appeared on 20 November 1949. Magazine was a political journal, which had set itself the goal of spreading liberal and democratic thought and to prevent the further spread of communist tendencies. Hu Shi, who may be considered in addition to its function as an editor and as the spiritual leader of the magazine, put in the first issue of the objectives of the paper is:

The objectives listed four were usually printed in all future editions of the magazine in the first pages. The magazine until October 1956 mostly Accordingly included articles that were marked anti-Communist, were directed against Russia and the Communists on the mainland and occupied themselves with questions about the democracy and liberalism.

Conflict with the government

In October 1957, the President Chiang Kai- shek refused a nationwide party for his 70th birthday and instead called on the public to criticize the government's policy, published " Free China " in November 1957, a special issue to celebrate the birthday Chiang's out. With this special issue, the magazine opened its sharp criticism of the political development and the current government's policies, which were in contradiction with the Constitution according to the authors. Authors of this very successful edition - there were a total of nine runs - were among others the well-known intellectuals Lei Zhen, Hu Shi, and Xu Tao Baichuan Fuguan.

In subsequent editions, the authors of the national government accused that they are trying to keep Taiwan deliberately with dictatorial means under control. Yin Haiguang held, for example, in his article tip, as is the government of arguments as ' national interest ', ' basic national policy ', ' unusual hours ', ' critical situation ' and ' either nationalist or communist ' as a trump card in the to use control of freedom of speech. If the opinion of the people, so Yin further, criticizing the government, that would constitute a far against the national interests, even if this is contrary to the basic national policy. This attitude of the government was in his opinion the cause of the unrest of the previous decade.

That are presented in more references from 1957 to 1958 claims on the central government can be summarized in the following points:

The case of Lei Zhen & the end of the journal

Lei Zhen, the editor in chief of the magazine, came in September 1960 again in the crosshairs of the government. After he was discharged in 1952 as adviser to the government and also in 1955 was expelled from the KMT, he was arrested on 4 September 1960 by the government, which with this action, the establishment of an opposition party named Democratic Party of China (Chinese中国 民主党, Pinyin Zhōngguó mínzhǔ dǎng ) tried to stop. Lei Zhen, who was provided for the Office of the Secretary General of the party, was sentenced in the subsequent process to 10 years in prison. The magazine " Free China ", which had tried in 1919 to continue the tradition of liberal criticism of the May Fourth Movement in Taiwan, had to cease publication in November 1960.

Swell

  • Policy (Republic of China)
  • Political magazine
  • Magazine (China)
  • Antiquarian magazine
  • First publication in 1949
  • Posted in 1960
Hu Shih
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