What happened in Taiwan on 28 February, and how does it still affect the island nation today?

On 28 February, Taiwan commemorates the 1947 massacre, also known as the ‘228 Incident’ (Chinese: 二二八事件). Thousands of innocent civilians were killed by troops of the Kuomintang (KMT) government after protests against the government broke out across the country. To this day, 28 February remains one of the most significant days of remembrance in Taiwan’s recent history.

The protests against the KMT were triggered by an incident the day before: a government official snatched cigarettes from a Taiwanese street vendor, and his brutal behaviour prompted several passers-by to intervene and rush to the vendor’s aid. After one of those who had rushed to the scene was killed by a warning shot during the scuffle, hundreds of people gathered outside the seat of government in Taipei on 28 February 1947 to protest against the authoritarian government under Chiang Kai-shek. The protests were brutally suppressed by the government: within a few weeks, KMT troops killed between 18,000 and 20,000 innocent people. Tensions between the KMT authorities and the Taiwanese population had been simmering for a long time prior to this: violence and corruption under the KMT government were widespread on the island.

In the decades of ‘White Terror’ that followed, the 228 Massacre became a taboo subject. It was only after martial law was lifted in 1987 that people in Taiwan dared to speak publicly about the events of 28 February and address them. Step by step, a re-evaluation of the past began, which continues to this day – it shapes the Taiwanese discourse on democracy and national autonomy and plays an important role in the development of the island’s national identity. Against the backdrop of this massacre, many Taiwanese people view democracy as a means of preventing a recurrence of authoritarian abuses of power in Taiwan.

Across the island today, one can discover a number of sites, museums and memorials – such as the 228 Peace Memorial Park in Taipei or the First Peace Memorial Monument in Chiayi – which commemorate the massacre. Since 1997, 28 February has been observed as a day of remembrance in Taiwan.