Li Ao

Li Ao
李敖
Li Ao at Fayuan Temple in Beijing in 2005
Member of the Legislative Yuan
In office 1 February 2005 – 31 January 2008
Constituency	Taipei 2
Personal details
Born	(1935-04-25)25 April 1935 Harbin, Manchukuo
Died	18 March 2018(2018-03-18) (aged 82) Taipei, Taiwan
Cause of death	Brain tumor
Spouses	Terry Hu ​ ​ (m. 1980; div. 1980)​ Wang Zhihui ​ (m. 1992)​
Children	Hedy Lee [zh] (1964, daughter) Li Kan [zh] (1992, son) Li Chen (1994, daughter)
Parent(s)	Li Dingyi Zhang Kuichen
Education	National Taiwan University (BA, MA)
Occupation	Writer, social commentator, historian, independent politician
Known for	Civil rights movement, Activism, Chinese culture criticism
Courtesy name	Aozhi (敖之) (Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ngô͘ Chi)

Li Ao (Chinese: 李敖; pinyin: Lǐ Áo; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lí Ngô͘, also spelled Lee Ao; 25 April 1935 – 18 March 2018) was a Chinese-Taiwanese writer, historian and independent politician.^[1]

Li rose to prominence in the early 1960s through his articles in Wenxing (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 career, Li espoused liberalism, Chinese nationalist ideals, anti-American and anti-Japanese sentiments. A prominent critic of the Chiang family and the Kuomintang's authoritarian rule in Taiwan, following the democratization in the late 1980s, he also criticized the Democratic Progressive Party and the Taiwanese independence movement. In his later years, Li praised the Chinese Communist Party for revitalizing China but also condemned its authoritarianism.