2-28 Peace Day

Yesterday, Feb 28th was a Taiwanese national holiday to remember The 2-28 (or February 28), 1947 Incident - the spark that led to the murders of thousands of Taiwanese people by the Kuomintang government. 

I visited the Taipei 2-28 Memorial Museum and did some reading on Taiwan's history (Forbidden Nation: A History of Taiwan by Manthorpe -- thanks Anderoo!)  where I got the following info.  Taiwan has a fascinating history and I thought I'd share a mini history lesson....

After World War II, Taiwan, which had been under Japanese rule for 50 years, was turned over to the Kuomintang-administered Republic of China.    First there was positive anticipation as Japanese colonial rule ended, but the clash of cultures between the island and the mainland along with skyrocketing inflation and government corruption had lead to widespread discontent among the people.  On Feb 28, 1947 the attempted violent arrest of a woman selling untaxed cigarettes sparked large scale protest demonstrations against the government.  

From the Taipei 2-28 Museum

Troops from China were brought in and approximately 28,000 innocent people were killed, mostly those who were educated or with high status in the community.  While the killing and torture lasted for about 4 weeks after the 2-28 incident, martial law was in place from 1949 until 1987 (more than 38 years! according to Wikipedia, longest martial law in history).  During this period of "white terror," accused communists or those accused of criticizing the government were arrested and many were executed.  Taiwan’s first free and fair presidential election was only recently in 1996.  The 2-28 incident has since been officially recognized and is commemorated as Peace Day to try to move forward with reconciliation.

Sculpture and Pagoda in Peace Park

I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to ask my family members for their thoughts and experiences during such recent tumultuous times in Taiwan’s history (and reflect on how lucky I’ve been).  I thought I would share a slice of one of many factors affecting Taiwan's political issues today.

Incidentally, yesterday I also learned that that the beautiful plum blossom is Taiwan's national flower.  The blossoms can withstand harsh winter weather, representing the resilience of the human spirit.

bless

Plum blossom - Taiwan's national flower