Born in Liaoning in 1916, Fei attended Peking University. He was elected to the Legislative Yuan as a representative of his home province in 1948. Fei became a close friend and defender of democracy activist Lei Chen during Taiwan's years as an authoritarian, single-party state.[1] Fei's association with Lei cost the former his Kuomintang membership, which was revoked in 1960.[2][3] Fei began actively campaigning for the opposition after the Kaohsiung Incident in 1979,[1] and, over time began drifting nearer to the tangwai movement.[3] In 1981, Fei proposed the State Security Bill written to lift martial law in Taiwan.[4] Despite supporting Taiwan's right to self determination in 1982,[5] two years later Fei proposed that Taipei and Beijing form one political entity called the "Federation of Great China" in an effort to give the Republic of China a voice in the United Nations.[6] He played a large role in the founding of the Democratic Progressive Party, and although he lost its first chairmanship election to Chiang Peng-chien, Fei was elected to the party's inaugural Central Standing Committee.[1][2] Fei's State Security Bill was reconsidered in 1987,[4] and when it was replaced by another proposal, the National Security Law, instead, some DPP members protested, with Fei himself leading objections to the protest.[7] Martial law was lifted by order of Chiang Ching-kuo on 15 July 1987.[8]
Throughout his political career, Fei remained opposed to Taiwan independence.[9][10] Fei was often the mediator between the DPP and KMT, and continually issued calls for the parties to work together.[11] The DPP continued to push for independence and legislative reform, and over these disagreements, Fei left the party in 1988,[12] resigning his legislative seat in 1990.[1][2] He later moved to the United States, and died of heart failure in Los Angeles on 21 February 2003, at the age of 86.[3]
