Today is Feb. 28, a day that Taiwan associates with two tragic historical memories. The 228 Incident, which started on Feb. 28, 1947, began from protests sparked by a cigarette seizure that took place the day before in front of the Tianma Tea House in Taipei’s Datong District (大同). It turned into a mass movement that spread across Taiwan. Local gentry asked then-governor general Chen Yi (陳儀) to intervene, but he received contradictory orders. In early March, after Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) dispatched troops to Keelung, a nationwide massacre took place and lasted until May 16, during which many important intellectuals and cultural figures were killed.
The second incident on Feb. 28 occurred in 1980 after the Formosa Incident of Dec. 10, 1979 — also known as the Kaohsiung Incident. That day, chaos broke out at a Human Rights Day rally organized by democracy leaders associated with Formosa Magazine after police officers surrounded the crowd and deployed tear gas. Lin I-hsiung (林義雄), a lawyer and democracy advocate who was later a Democratic Progressive Party chairman, traveled to Kaohsiung to gain a better understanding of the situation and help handle it, but he was charged with treason and wrongfully imprisoned.
On Feb. 28, 1980, as his wife, Fang Su-min (方素敏), was visiting him in prison, a person whose identity remains unknown broke into Lin’s house on Xinyi Road in Taipei, murdering his mother and twin daughters. His eldest daughter, who was just nine at the time, was critically injured, but survived after emergency treatment.
Lin’s home was under close surveillance and evidence shows that this brutal act was likely carried out by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government on the anniversary of the 228 Incident to intimidate those involved in the pro-democracy movement.
The 228 Incident was an attempt to eliminate all obstacles to the exiled colonial government’s power in Taiwan. It has been 78 years since then. The Lin family murders served to suppress Taiwan’s democratization movement. It has been 37 years since then. The 228 Incident occurred just two years after Taiwan welcomed the “motherland,” while the murders took place just two months after the Formosa Incident. The history of the KMT’s rule over Taiwan is stained with blood.
Following the 228 Incident, why did the KMT execute intellectuals and cultural figures who were members of the 228 Incident Committee? Painter Chen Cheng-po (陳澄波) from Chiayi County, for example, was shot in front of Chiayi railway station after attempting to negotiate with the government. His body was displayed outside the station for several days. Chen’s execution was obviously a political move by the Republic of China (ROC) government to clear intellectual and cultural obstacles to its rule.
Tragedies such as this occurred despite many Taiwanese elites having high expectations for the “motherland,” truly believing that the ROC would be the first democratic country in Asia. The intellectuals and cultural figures who were sacrificed firmly believed that they had not broken any laws nor engaged in rebellion — rather, they hoped that Taiwan could transition from a colonized territory to a normal democratic nation. They were victims of their own mistaken beliefs — based on the legal conditions of the Japanese colonial period — that the ROC was a democratic and law-abiding country.
The Lin family murders marked one of the most egregious series of mistakes in the history of the KMT’s rule. Lin and Fang overcame the grief of losing most of their family. After traveling abroad and returning home, Lin proposed a first draft of the “Constitution of the Republic of Taiwan,” started the Chilin Foundation, established the Chilin Social Movement Academy and advocated for other civil society movements. At the Chilin Cultural and Education Center in Yilan County’s Wujie Township (五結), he constructed historical archives, a concert hall and a social movement institute, as well as hosting art exhibitions among other endeavors. He sowed love in a land marked by bloodshed, reflecting the history of Taiwan’s post-World War II democratization movement.
While reflecting upon the two tragic incidents that occurred on this day in 1947 and 1980, Taiwanese must have a sense of historical awareness and protect their developing nation. Taiwan’s democratization was achieved through blood, sweat and tears — its people must cherish and protect it regardless of their age, passing it down through the generations to shape a new history.
Feb. 28 is a day of national mourning, not of fun and entertainment — Taiwanese must not overlook the significance of its commemoration.
Lee Min-yung is a poet.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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