Lee Tze Chung
Lee Tze Chung (; 21 May 1911 – 11 May 2012) was a Hong Kong journalist. He was the president of pro-Beijing newspaper "Wen Wei Po" from 1952 to his dismissal in 1989, when he criticised the Chinese government for imposing martial law in response to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Early life. Lee Chung was born on 21 May 1911 in Shunde, Guangdong province, China. He had only attended "sishu", a form of private school in imperial China. Early journalistic career. Lee began his career in journalism aged 16 as a proofreader for "The Seventy-two Guilds  Commercial Daily News" in Guangzhou and later the editor of "Greater China News". In 1931, Lee was arrested for sympathising with student protesters against the Japanese invasion of Manchuria after the Mukden Incident. After being released from prison, Lee founded and became of the editor-in-chief of "Livelihood News". He then became the editorial director of "Superior News" in Hong Kong and "Integrity News" in Guangzhou, which he became the editor-in-chief of during the Second Sino-Japanese War. He was also the editorial director of "Daguang News", a newspaper in Guangzhouwan at wartime. After the war, Lee  founded and became the editor-in-chief of Hong Kong newspaper "Weekly News" while holding editor positions at "The Chinese Business News" and monthly magazine "Freedom". In 1949, he became the editor-in-chief of "United News" in Guangzhou. He became the vice-president of All-China Journalists Association's Guangzhou branch in 1950. Editor-in-chief of "Wen Wei Po": 1951–1989. In 1951, Lee became the president and editor-in-chief of the Hong Kong edition of "Wen Wei Po". During his 39-year tenure, the newspaper began to assign foreign correspondents and establish subsidiaries to increase income. On  21 May 1989, Lee and "Wen Wei Po" editor-in-chief Kam Yiu Yu wrote a four-character editorial that read "deep grief and bitter hatred" after the People's Liberation Army enforced martial law during the pro-democracy protests at Tiananmen Square. According to Lau Yui-siu, a Beijing correspondent for "Wen Wei Po", Lee said all truths about the protests could be reported and he would bear the consequences. The night before the military crackdown on protesters on 4 June, Lee wrote an opinion piece calling for Chinese leaders to "rein in the horse at the brink of  the cliff" but was disappointed that it was too late to prevent the Communist Party from "massacring the masses" and its "brutal crackdown on the people". A month after the crackdown, Lee fired "Wen Wei Po"'s deputy director Chen Bojian, who attempted to realign the newspaper's position with that of Chinese government and criticised Lee for his position against the Chinese central government. On 15 July, Xinhua News Agency's Hong Kong bureau, China's "de facto" embassy in Hong Kong that also manages "Wen Wei Po", intervened. Zhang Junsheng, the vice-director of Xinhua's Hong Kong  bureau, announced in an editorial meeting at 2:00am that Xinhua had accepted Lee's resignation he tendered in 1985, which was refused at the time. About 30 "Wen Wei Po" journalists have resigned in support of Lee. After "Wen Wei Po". By September 1989, Lee had plans to launch another publication. He approached Jimmy Lai, the founder of the Giordano fashion chain, for financial support, but talks broke down after they disagreed on the editorial policy. Lee and former deputy Ching Cheong launched China-focused weekly magazine "Contemporary" in a few months later. "Contemporary" included news, analysis and opinion pieces  on China and Hong Kong. The first issue sold 50,000 copies and operated out of an office in Causeway Bay. At 78, Lee continued to write a weekly commentary and biography and spent three afternoons in the office every week. However the magazine launched with little advertising, which Ching said was because of advertisers saw "Contemporary" to confront Xinhua. The magazine later became a monthly publication. It stopped publishing in 1995 because of financial losses of HK$100,000 per month, according to Ching. Political career. Lee was a central committee member of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang from 1983  to 1992. He was also a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) from Hong Kong. In 1985, he opposed China issuing the Hong Kong Dollar after the city's sovereignty is transferred to China in 1997 to become a special administrative region. He said using the Renminbi in Hong Kong after 1997 would reduce corruption. After criticising the Tiananmen Square crackdown, Lee took leave from a CPPCC meeting in July 1989 and stopped attending CPPCC sessions and committee meetings. Personal life. Lee was married to Law Siu Lan, a teacher. At 71, Law died of long -term illness on 30 March 1981 at Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital and her body was cremated at Cape Collinson Crematorium. Death. Lee died on 11 May 2012 at the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Fung Yiu King Hospital from multiple organ failure. Beijing supporters and officials of the Chinese government organised a public memorial at Hong Kong Funeral Home, which was attended by Li Gang, the deputy director of the Hong Kong Liaison Office, and former members of the National People's Congress from Hong Kong. His body was cremated at Cape Collinson Crematorium. Lee Tze Chung Lee Tze