K. C. Wu - Activities After Leaving Mainland China

Activities After Leaving Mainland China

Following the relocation of the Nationalist government to Taipei, Wu served as governor of Taiwan Province from 1949 to 1953. Wu attempted to bring a greater degree of self-governance to the Taiwanese people, allowing for the election of certain local officials by popular vote. Wu also brought critics of Chen Yi into the government, and attempted to cut back on the police brutality. Wu was opposed by many conservative members of the Nationalist government, including Chiang Ching-kuo and Chen Cheng.His liberal democratic ideas and critical moment of invasion of Communists do not go hand to hand

On April 3, 1953, alleged assassination were suspected. Seven days later, he was dismissed from his position as governor and he hastily left Taiwan. Wu's family, with the exception of one of his sons, left for the United States. In 1954, following his son's departure from Taiwan, Wu began to speak out against what he saw were serious problems with the Kuomintang government. That same year, Wu wrote an article in Look magazine entitled "Your Money is Building a Police State in Taiwan".

The United States was attempting to forge an alliance with the Taiwan Central Government in order to secure a strong military chain to keep communism out. The Police state, however, was used to repel communism, thus it was low on the agenda. Following a lack of American response to his writings, K.C. Wu lived in the United States where he served as professor of Chinese history at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Georgia. During his time in the United States, he wrote various works, including a detailed analysis on Chinese culture in the context of mythology and early history in his book The Chinese Heritage.

Wu is remembered mainly for his vital role in the formation of a liberal modern Taiwan and his anti-communist beliefs typical of a member of Kuomintang, but he is also remembered for his brave anti-Kuomintang rhetoric and turbulent disagreements with more Russian styled Chiang Ching-kuo.

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