The Horrifying Inspection (or The Terrible Inspection) by Huang Rong-can, 1947
On 28 February, Taiwan commemorates the 1947 massacre (also known as the 228 Incident, 二二八事件), in which thousands of innocent civilians were killed by KMT troops after nationwide protests broke out against them. This day is one of the most important days of remembrance in Taiwan’s recent history. The day before, government officials confiscated the cigarettes of a Taiwanese street vendor in Taipei. The police brutality prompted other passers-by to intervene and rush to the vendor’s aid.
After a bystander was killed by a warning shot, hundreds of people gathered in front of the seat of government in Taipei on 28 February 1947 to protest against the authoritarian government under Chiang Kai-shek. Conflicts between the KMT authorities and the Taiwanese population had been smouldering for a long time—in the years leading up to 1947, mismanagement, violence, and corruption were widespread under the KMT government in Taiwan. The government brutally suppressed the uprising, and 18,000 to 20,000 innocent people were killed by KMT troops within a few weeks. In the subsequent White Terror period, the massacre of 228 was tabooed for decades. It was only after the end of martial law in 1987 that people in Taiwan dared to address the 228 massacre in public.
Step by step, a reappraisal of the past began, which continues to this day. It characterises the Taiwanese discourse on democracy, multiculturalism and national autonomy and plays an important role in the development of Taiwan’s national identity. Against the backdrop of the 228 Massacre, democracy is understood by many Taiwanese as an instrument to prevent a repetition of authoritarian abuse of power in Taiwan.
Since 1997, 28 February has been observed as a day of remembrance in Taiwan.
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rti Insta-Post (28.02.2024): „Vergangenheitsbewältigung und Erinnerungskultur“
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intaiwan.net: „228: Massaker in Taiwan“ von Klaus Bardenhagen (27.02.2009)
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bpb – Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung: „Taiwan – Asiens erstaunliche Demokratie“ von David Demes und Frederik Krumbein (2024)
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GTI Global Taiwan Brief, Vol. 7, Issue 9: „The Legacy of 228: Historical Memory, Taiwanese Identity, and Cross-Strait Relations“ von David Calhoun (4. Mai 2022)
