Outspoken liberal Chinese magazine Yanhuang Chunqiu stops publication after management purge

An outspoken mainland liberal political magazine has stopped publication following a reshuffle of top management last week, ­according to a notice signed by its sacked publisher.

The decision announced by long-time Yanhuang Chunqiu publisher Du Daozheng reflected less tolerance in the establishment for reformers and liberals, a former editor of the magazine said.

In a statement dated Sunday, Du said the magazine’s editorial staff made the decision after a ­series of sackings and demotions initiated by the cultural ministry academy overseeing the journal.

“Anybody who publishes any periodicals with the title of Yanhuang Chunqiu will be nothing to do with [the current editorial committee],” the statement said.

The influential journal has a monthly circulation of about 200,000 and voiced support for constitutional democracy. It is also known for running articles that contest the official version of Communist Party history.