Tuesday, November 10
We started the day at the 228 Peace Park and Museum.
The 228 Incident (February 28m 1947) was an anti-government uprising that was violently suppressed by the Kuomingtang (KMT) Nationalist government, leading to thousands of deaths and the start of decades of authoritarian rule. Crowds marched to the Governor-General’s Office to demand justice. Guards fired into the crowd, sparking island-wide riots, protests against KMT corruption, and demands for political autonomy. In response, Provincial Governor Chen Yi secretly requested military support from Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek. Nationalist troops arrived on March 8, and began a violent military sweep, executing and “disappearing” an entire generation of local leaders, intellectuals, lawyers, doctors, and students. Estimates of the death toll range from several thousand up to roughly 28,000 people.
228 triggered a long period of martial law and political repression known as the "White Terror," which lasted until 1987. The event remained a state secret for decades until a formal apology by President Lee Teng-hui in 1995.
Outdoor Memorial Peace Sculpture
At the museum
A corner of the museum was an opportunity for guests to write messages reflecting on their visit.
On the loose in the park…
After the park and museum, we went to a street corner in the Datong District, which was the flashpoint for the 228 incident. On the evening of February 27, 1947, agents from the state Tobacco Monopoly Bureau violently confiscated contraband cigarettes and cash from a 40-year-old widow named Lin Jiang-mai. When she protested, an agent pistol-whipped her across the head, causing her to bleed and lose consciousness. An angry crowd of local onlookers immediately surrounded the agents. As the agents fled, one fired into the crowd, killing a bystander. This is what sparked the uprising the next day - 228. There is a small monument marking the place where Lin was selling her cigarettes.
From there we searched (with the help of google maps) for a restaurant in the neighborhood, and ended up wandering down an alley which opened up to two corner spots across from a parking area where locals eat. One of them had a friendly server who gave us a menu with English (as well as Chinese) and got us four seats pretty quickly. We really were sitting in the road…street food!
Longshan Temple
When we arrived here there was a parade of groups of flag-bearers, floats, musicians, dancers, dragon puppets, decorated vehicles and more, who would come from around the block, go through the main gate up to the main door of the temple, and then back out and on their way. Quite exciting!
I’ll be learning more about this temple tomorrow as we’re visiting it again with our group and tour guide, so I won’t say a lot about its significance today, except to say that it is unique in that it blends Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.
Inside the temple is a large courtyard where people are praying and making offerings to the gods.
After visiting the temple, we wandered the nearby streets including “Herb Alley” and a flea market, where I got a fresh scallion pancake!
We got around easily all day via uber and returned to our hotel at 5:45. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant - a nice Italian restaurant! Most dishes had seafood in them; we had an excellent meal.
Tomorrow we meet our group and begin our tour!