In 1984, Cheng Nan-jung, known to his friends as Nylon, founded the Freedom Era Weekly in order to break through news censorship.  “For someone like me who is deeply trained in ideology,” he said. “running a magazine is the most appropriate way to practice my faith.” 

The magazine lasted for more than five years, which was an incredible feat. At the time, pro-democracy publications like this were confiscated often and slapped with a one-year ban on printing. This made it difficult for any one publication to gain momentum and grow its influence. 

Nylon had to get around this. He had to think ahead. 

So when he applied for a publishing permit, instead of applying for one, he applied for 18 permits. This meant, as soon as one permit was banned, he would switch to a different permit to continue issuing the same magazine. 

This cat-and-mouse chase meant that although the Freedom Era Weekly was banned often, in the 5 years and 8 months of publishing, a total of 302 issues were published - without interruption.

The content magazine was as well-curated as Nylon’s crafty methods of evading censorship. Articles were often critical of KMT regime leaders - especially the Chiang family - the father-then-son pair who ruled Taiwan and their military. Writings calling for the release of political prisoners and the lifting of martial law were also frequent. 

Readers relied on pro-democracy publications like the Freedom Era Weekly for  stories that mainstream media dared not cover. For example, the mysterious murder of the writer Jiang Nan (also known as Henry Liu), and the health problems of KMT leader Chiang Ching-kuo

At that time, these magazines were hard to come by. One had to find ways to get their hands on one. Or they discussed with friends in secret the articles in the latest issues. The need to learn the truth was growing stronger throughout the Taiwanese society. That was a big reason the Freedom Era Weekly was able to continue for so long. It reflected the social changes in Taiwan.  

In the 1980s, it was common for journalists to be monitored and threatened. Writers at the Freedom Era Weekly were no exception, even if some were anonymous. This was why - if you look closely at the index pages of every issue, you’ll see these words: “Editor-in-chief Nylon Cheng is responsible for all articles in this publication. Names of authors are not specified.” To create a space where journalists and contributors could report the truth and investigate without fear, Nylon shouldered all responsibilities.