''Free China Journal'' () was a

periodical A periodical literature (also called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) is a published work that appears in a new edition on a regular schedule. The most familiar example is a newspaper, but a magazine or a journal are also exampl ...

sponsored by the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

that was published in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...

after the Kuomintang retreat following their defeat in the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on main ...

. The first issue appeared on 20 December 1949. The publisher was

Hu Shih Hu Shih (; 17 December 1891 – 24 February 1962), also known as Hu Suh in early references, was a Chinese diplomat, essayist, literary scholar, philosopher, and politician. Hu is widely recognized today as a key contributor to Chinese liberal ...

while the director and founder was

Lei Chen Lei Chen (; 8 July 1897 – 7 March 1979) was a Chinese politician and dissident who was the early leading figure in the movement to bring fuller democracy to the government of the Republic of China. Born in Zhejiang in 1897, Lei was educated a ...

, a member of the Kuomintang who was also close to

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

. The publication was sponsored by the

-led government to act as a forum for free thought and discussion against the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, sli ...

. Its popularity soared as the editors and writers analyzed political situations at the time, sometimes even advising or criticizing the government in earnest. The publication ceased in 1960 when the government forced a shut-down after Lei criticized

for changing the constitution in order to allow him to run as

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...

beyond the two terms previously mandated and sought to form a coalition opposition party with influential native Taiwanese politicians. Lei was also accused of promoting the formation of a "Democratic State of Chinese Taiwan" (中華臺灣民主國) to counter the

. The final issue was published on September 1, 1960.

References

Chinese-language magazines Defunct magazines published in Taiwan Defunct political magazines Magazines disestablished in 1960 Magazines established in 1949 Propaganda newspapers and magazines State media Propaganda in Taiwan {{Taiwan-media-stub

See also

References