This lecture and Q&A offer insights into the domestic factors and international politics that ended the martial law period in Taiwan.

Chia-wen Calvin Yao 姚嘉文 is Senior Adviser to President Tsai Ing-wen and an Associate Professor of law at National Tsing-Hua University. Yao studied law at National Taiwan University and passed the bar exam in 1966. On his return from University of California at Berkeley as a visiting scholar, Yao co-founded the "Legal Advice Center for Citizens" (平民法律服務中心) in 1972. In 1979, he was arrested and served seven years in prison for his involvement in the Kaohsiung Incident, a crackdown on pro-democracy movements in Kaohsiung. Yao has served as the Chairperson of the Democratic Progressive Party (1987¬88), a member of the Legislative Assembly (1993-96), and President of the Examination Yuan (2002-08).

This lecture is presented as part of the Remembering Taiwan's Martial Law Conference, 27-30 July 2021.