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Chapter 2
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Lifting of the Martial Law: Defending Absolute Freedom of Speech
for liberalism scholar Yin Hai-kuang and transferred
to NTU’s Department of Philosophy in 1968, but by
then Yin Hai-kuang had already been suspended by
NTU. Despite threats from the intelligence and surveillance unit, Cheng Nan-jung often visited Yin Haikuang while he was under house arrest.
In an era where educational degrees were valued
above all else, with NTU being the most prestigious
school in Taiwan, Cheng Nan-jung was a determined
free thinker, refusing to take then mandatory classes
on “Sun Yat-sen Thought” even if it meant giving up
his NTU diploma. Neither threats nor promises of
benefit could sway Cheng Nan-jung, as reflected in
his political personality before his martyrdom.
Aside from studying Yin Hai-kuang’s liberal ideas,
Cheng Nan-jung originally had no connections with
the Tangwai movement. It wasn’t until the Kaohsiung
incident, the Lin family murders, and the Kaohsiung
Incident Military Court Trial that Cheng Nan-jung,
who had begun a career in business, began writing for
Tangwai magazines like Deep Cultivation and Statesman in 1981.
To gather materials for his articles, Cheng Nanjung often sat in on Legislative Yuan meetings, which
allowed him to quickly figure out how Tangwai magazines and the pro-democracy movement operated
and eventually establish Freedom Era in 1984. Just
as Lei Chen founded Free China on the belief that
“awakening” of the people is of utmost importance,
Cheng Nan-jung was convinced that “only through
the full awakening of the people’s power will justice
truly prevail in Taiwan”.
Cheng Nan-jung was fearless when it came to
breaking taboos, making him a pioneer in the Tangwai opposition movement, someone consistent in
his ideas, speech, and actions. Freedom Era had the
courage to expose the myths of the Chiang family,
the malpractices of the military, and internal struggles
within the KMT, constantly pushing and furthering
May 19, 1986: Cheng Nan-jung publicized a rally of the May 19 Green Action movement held at Taipei's Lungshan
Temple in Freedom Era. Photographer: Sung Long-chyuan
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