So in the vein of reflecting on the past, this year I thought I’d share my interview with Sabrina Liu and Meng Chiang who are part of the team that makes up the KITA Foundation, an organization that was formed as an oral history project to understand who are the trailblazers that paved the way for Taiwan’s democracy and freedom.
Every year we try to dedicate an episode of Talking Taiwan to 228, an important date in Taiwan’s history, marking the 228 Massacre. 228 stands for February 28 1947. February 28th is now commemorated as a national holiday in Taiwan known as the 228 Peace Memorial Day.
However, the 228 Massacre is not confined to this single date in history. There were circumstances leading up what happened on February 28th and there were also subsequent events after February 28th which escalated into bloody violence and massacres leading to what some refer to as the March Massacre.
Under the authoritarian Chiang regime, and Chinese Nationalist Kuomintang, what followed after 228 was 38 years of martial law and the White Terror era. Anyone could be disappeared, executed or worse for just saying or doing the wrong thing, or for what was seemingly wrong in the eyes of the authorities. The people of Taiwan were horrified and terrified. For decades there was denial and suppression of 228 by authorities in Taiwan, and generations dared not speak of 228.
228 was absent from high school textbooks until relatively recently. To learn more about the specifics of 228 I invite you to listen to some of our past episodes on the topic. We recommend episodes 309, 277, 228, and 172.
In an effort to confront its authoritarian past, in recent years Taiwan has taken steps to acknowledge historical sites of injustice such as buildings where military police fired on civilians on February 28, 1947. Around this time of year, around February 28 and leading into March, it’s a time to reflect on the past, and what we can learn from it.
Related Links:
KITA Foundation: https://www.kitafoundation.org/
A letter to Ama (film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23751786/
Island X (book): https://uwapress.uw.edu/book/9780295752051/island-x/
The 228 Incident: https://228massacre.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_28_incident
https://www.taiwandc.org/228-intr.htm
Chinese Nationalists aka Kuomintang: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuomintang
Chiang Kai-shek: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Kai-shek
Martial Law in Taiwan: https://oftaiwan.org/history/white-terror/martial-law/
Jing-Mei White Terror Memorial Park: http://museu.ms/museum/details/18264/national-human-rights-museum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jing-Mei_White_Terror_Memorial_Park
Transitional Justice Commission: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transitional_Justice_Commission#:~:text=The%20Transitional%20Justice%20Commission%20
After Spring, The Tamaki Family (film): https://guidedoc.tv/documentary/After-documentary-film/
NATWA’s 228 Taiwanese Lily Pin: https://sites.google.com/view/taiwanese-lily-pin
Collective Memory, Collective Trauma: A Conversation with Dr. Meng Chiang Ep 339
Collective Memory, Collective Trauma: A Conversation with Dr. Meng Chiang Ep 339: https://talkingtaiwan.com/collective-memory-collective-trauma-a-conversation-with-meng-chiang-ep-339/
Sherry Chou Remembers Dr. Chen Wen-chen and Circumstances Surrounding his Mysterious Death Ep 305
Sherry Chou Remembers Dr. Chen Wen-chen and Circumstances Surrounding his Mysterious Death Ep 305: https://talkingtaiwan.com/sherry-chou-remembers-dr-chen-wen-chen-and-circumstances-surrounding-his-mysterious-death-ep-305/
An Oral History of TAC-EC by Three Past Organizers: Talking with Terry Tsao, Su-Mei Kao, and Powen Wang Ep 298: https://talkingtaiwan.com/an-oral-history-of-tacec-by-three-past-organizers-talking-with-terry-tsao-sue-mei-kao-and-powen-wang-ep-298/
The History of NATWA: Unique Contributions in Leadership and Sisterhood Ep 300
The History of NATWA: Unique Contributions in Leadership and Sisterhood Ep 300: https://talkingtaiwan.com/the-history-of-natwa-unique-contributions-by-three-national-presidents-ep-300/