Bo Yang

Bo Yang (March 7, 1920 - April 29, 2008), whose real name was Guo Dingsheng, changed his name to Guo Libang when he applied for high school, and changed his name to Guo Yidong after college. He also had the pen name Deng Kebao. Born in Kaifeng County, Henan Province, his native place is Huixian County, Henan Province. Writer of the Republic of China and Counselor of the Presidential Office of the Republic of China. Bo Yang is regarded as a writer, thinker, historical novelist, historical critic, cultural critic, etc. Although he has many history-related works, he is not a historian because he does not conform to the norms of the historical discipline and does not aim at historical academic research. His masterpiece "The Ugly Chinese" caused widespread controversy on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and was banned by the government of the People's Republic of China for a long time. It was not lifted until 2000. Although he is not an academic historian, his historical works such as "Boyang Edition of Zizhi Tongjian" have influenced many Chinese readers in popular language. Chen Jiangong, director of the Museum of Modern Chinese Literature, called it "a miracle in the history of contemporary literature." Bo Yang was imprisoned for nearly ten years for political cases during the White Terror. After his release from prison, he continued to focus on issues such as freedom, human rights, and dignity. He founded the Taiwan branch of Amnesty International and served as its president, and served as the presidential adviser in the Chen Shui-bian government.