Lien Heng

Lian Heng 連橫
Photograph of Lien c. 1914
Born	February 17, 1878 Taiwan County (), Taiwan Prefecture, Taiwan under Qing rule
Died	June 28, 1936(1936-06-28) (aged 58) Shanghai, Republic of China
Cause of death	Liver cancer
Nationality	Chinese
Other names	Lian Wugong (連武公) Lian Yatang (連雅堂) Lian Jianhua (連劍花)
Occupation	historian, poet
Known for	The General History of Taiwan
Relatives	Lien Chan (grandson) Sean Lien (great-grandson)

Lian Heng (Chinese: 連橫; pinyin: Lián Héng; Wade–Giles: Lien Heng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Liân Hêng; 1878–1936) was a Chinese historian, politician, poet, merchant, editor of a pro-Japanese newspaper, and advocate of the opium trade in the island of Taiwan. He authored the General History of Taiwan (). Some have claimed that he contributed to the creation and spread of a unified and strong Taiwanese cultural identity through his historical research and works of poetry. But as a journalist he was also a supporter of the Japanese, in particular their expansion of the opium trade into Taiwan. In this regard he worked in opposition to the Taiwanese People's Party and medical associations across Taiwan, as well as the New People Society in Tokyo. For this, he was ostracized by cultural circles and expelled by the Oak Tree Poetry Society (), Taiwan's top poetry club. "Feeling that he had no footing among the Taiwanese people," Lien took his family and left for Shanghai. Lian is also known for being the grandfather of Lien Chan, former Chairman of the Kuomintang, and great-grandfather of Sean Lien, the Kuomintang candidate for mayor of Taipei in 2014.

Lian Heng was born on February 17, 1878 in Taiwan Prefecture, Qing-era Taiwan (modern-day Tainan, Taiwan). Lian grew up in a prosperous merchant family, the third son of Lien Yung-ch'ang. Lian's ancestors originated from the city of Longxi County (now part of Longhai City), Fujian Province. The family had moved to Taiwan at the end of the Ming Dynasty as they were adamantly opposed to Manchu intrusions into China and the later foreign Qing dynasty. Born to a well-off family, Lian received an education in traditional Chinese fashion, learning Chinese characters, poetry, and the Confucian Classics. Lian gained an early interest in Chinese and Taiwanese culture and history from stories told him by his father and private tutors. With this exceptional schooling, Lian quickly developed into a young scholar-poet.