Li Ao

Li Ao (Chinese: 李敖; pinyin: Lǐ Áo; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lí Ngô͘; 25 April 1935 – 18 March 2018), also spelled Lee Ao, was a Taiwanese writer, politician, and public intellectual. He wrote more than 100 books, primarily on historical and political topics, and developed a reputation as a confrontational political firebrand. Li rose to prominence in the early 1960s through his articles in Wen Hsing (1957–1988), an intellectual Taiwanese magazine where he defended Hu Shih, criticized traditional Chinese culture, and advocated for complete Westernization, igniting a cultural debate over Chinese and Western ideologies. During the 1970s, he became active in the pro-democracy Tangwai movement, which resulted in two prison sentences as a political prisoner. After martial law was lifted in Taiwan in 1987, Li frequently ran for public office. In 2000, he ran for the presidency of Taiwan as the New Party candidate. From 2004 to 2008, he served as an independent legislator in the Legislative Yuan. After leaving office, Li focused on writing and teaching, and became a media personality hosting shows such as Li Ao Speaks His Mind (李敖有话说) and Li Ao's Wit and Humor (李敖语妙天下). Over his prolific career, Li espoused liberalism, Chinese nationalist ideals, anti-American and anti-Japanese sentiments. He was prominent critic of the Chiang family and of the Kuomintang's authoritarian rule in Taiwan. Following Taiwan's democratization in the late 1980s, he also criticized the Democratic Progressive Party and the Taiwanese independence movement. In his later years, Li acknowledged the Chinese Communist Party's role in revitalizing China while calling for greater freedom of speech.