© Wikicommons / 中華民國總統府
Nylon Cheng | 鄭南榕 | Cheng Nan-jung
(* September 12, 1947, † April 7, 1989)
…was a fearless Taiwanese publisher and democracy activist who grew up under martial law (1949–1987), during which freedom of speech and political dissent were harshly suppressed.
In 1984, he founded Freedom Era Weekly (自由時代週刊), a magazine known for its bold investigations into sensitive political scandals, including military corruption, intelligence abuse, and the Chiang family’s power struggles—topics that were taboo in Taiwan’s media at the time. When the government banned it, he resisted censorship by republishing the magazine under more than 20 different titles, including “Freedom,” “Democracy,” “Human Rights,” and “Taiwan.”
Cheng famously declared, „The Kuomintang can never arrest me, they can only capture my corpse.“ This statement, published posthumously in his magazine, reflected his unwavering commitment to resistance and freedom, even in the face of an oppressive regime.
In 1989, Cheng was charged under Article 100 for “inciting rebellion.” Rather than surrendering to an unjust law, he locked himself in his office and died by self-immolation on April 7—a final protest for freedom of expression.
His death shocked the nation, inspired the 1990 Wild Lily Student Movement, and pushed Taiwan further toward democracy. Article 100 was amended in 1992, opening the door to greater political freedom.
In 2016, April 7 was officially designated as Freedom of Speech Day in honor of Cheng Nan-jung’s legacy.
