｜ Chapter 1 broke out, the US readjusted its strategy in Asia, and Chiang Kai-shek no longer needed to keep up this political facade. In May 1951, Free China began to be targeted by the Taiwan Garrison Command. With his constitutional knowledge and past relationship with Chiang Kai-shek, Lei Chen could have had a successful political career if he had been willing to submit. But Lei Chen chose the side of democracy, enlightenment, and political commentary. The most astonishing issue, a bestseller for months, was the The debut issue of Free China published on October 31, 1956 — the "birthday special edition" — shook society. This is the cover of the 5th edition, and it sold so well that a total of nine editions were published until March of the following year. Courtesy of: Huang Yu-shun The first issue of Free China. Courtesy of: Nylon Cheng Liberty Foundation Lei Chen’s original intention in founding the publication was based on the belief that, after the Constitution was enacted, it was important to enlighten and inspire the people. With the KMT losing in the Chinese Civil War, he quickly reached a consensus on “anticommunism through democracy” with KMT leaders. He also hoped to reverse the unfavorable image of the Chiang regime. 22 ｜ Martial Law: Derailing From International Human Rights Trends “birthday special edition” published on October 31, 1956. The issue was published ahead of Chiang Kaishek’s 70th birthday. It was a high-profile declaration through the media calling for “examination and acceptance of good advice” and for people to “replace birthday wishes with constructive suggestions”. Free China then published “suggestions” from 15 renowned scholars, including Hu Shih, Tao Pei-chuan, Lei Chen, Hsu Fu-kuan, and Hsia Tao-ping. Special edition of Free China commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, published in December 1958. Courtesy of: Huang Yu-shun The plan was to establish the publication in Shanghai, but due to the circumstances, the journal was instead founded in Taipei on November 20, 1949. At the time, Chiang Kai-shek’s regime needed the endorsement of intellectuals to bolster its political image in order to gain support from the US, so it provided much financial support to the periodical. However, in June 1950, just over half a year later, the Korean War Photo from 1960. The ones standing are (from the right) Wu San-lien, Kuo Yu-hsin, Hu Shih, and Lee Wan-chu. Courtesy of: Chiu Wan-hsing 23