TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Friday (April 7) marks 34 years since Taiwan anti-authoritarian activist Cheng Nan-jung (鄭南榕) burned his Taipei office down with himself inside it to avoid arrest on political charges.

Cheng Nan-jung, also known as Nylon Cheng, was a prominent Taiwan independence advocate, publishing the Freedom Era magazine since 1984. He covertly distributed the publication to avoid censure from the government and continued publishing after it was officially banned.

Cheng was charged with insurrection in 1989 for printing a draft proposal for a constitution of the Republic of China, following years of activism and pro-democracy journalism that had made him an enemy of the Kuomintang (KMT) government, who ruled Taiwan's then single-party state. To avoid arrest and prosecution, Cheng barricaded himself inside his office and set it alight, dying in the flames to avoid arrest.

A memorial was held on the 34th anniversary of Cheng’s death, and was attended by Democratic Progressive Party presidential hopeful Lai Ching-te (賴清德), who said that Cheng was committed to freedom of speech, opposition to martial law, finding justice for the victims of the 228 incident, and the pursuit of transformational justice. Lai said that after decades, these aspirations have finally been realized.

Lai warned against a future when Taiwan was once again “ruled by outsiders,” and called on all to work together to protect Taiwan. “This is true respect for Cheng’s sacrifice and dedication,” he said.

An exhibition on Cheng’s life is touring Taiwan, and is currently in Tainan. The Nylon Cheng Liberty Foundation Museum has also launched a virtual tour of its campus, with audio commentaries available in English, Chinese, Taiwanese, Hakka, and Japanese.