臺灣文學虛擬博物館

February 28 Incident►April 6 Incident►August 7 Floods►Lei Chen Incident►Kaohsiung Formosa Incident

The Lin family massacre, Chen Wen-cheng Incident►Cheng Nan-jung Self-Immolation Incident

The Wild Lily Student Movement, the Sunflower Student Movement

 

 

⭓ 1947, February 28 Incident

After World War II ended in 1945, Taiwan was taken over by the Republic of China. However, due to improper governance, the people's livelihood and normality were seriously disrupted. Coupled with cultural conflicts, and the eventual anti-cigarette smuggling investigations, social unrest broke out throughout Taiwan. Social elites in Taiwan set up the Handling Committee of the February 28 Incident to restore order, and proposals were put forward requesting people's autonomy and reforms by the government but were bluntly dismissed by Chen Yi. It further led to military suppression by the Republic of China's armed forces, causing more bloodshed, massacres and indelible damage to the Taiwanese people.

During the period of White Terror, the February 28 Incident was a repressed part of the history, and one could sing commemorative songs only until after the lifting of martial law; together with the mother tongue movement, it became an important symbol of the consciousness of the Taiwanese people. There was a Taiwanese poem about the February 28 Incident, which describes the anguish of Chen Cheng-po, one Chiayi painter, just before his execution: "One gunshot takes away all the hatred in my heart, as I am distressed with worry for my wife and my children; our motherland is ravaging its people, and we are all wounded." At that time, many Taiwanese felt contradictory despair which was a major upheaval from the initial joy.

 

⌛Huang Chun-ching (1875-1956), "The Diary of The February 28 Incident"｜This is a record of Huang Chun-ching's participation in the February 28 Incident from February 27 to March 4, 1947.（Donated by Huang Te-shih）

 

⌛Chung I-jen (1921-), SIXTY YEARS OF BITTERNESS: MEMOIRS OF CHUNG I-JEN, COMMANDER OF 27TH UNIT IN THE FEBRUARY 28 INCIDENT｜Published by the Freedom Era Press, June, 1988. Chung I-jen's memoirs of Taiwan, dating from the Japanese occupation to the post-war period, and the February 28 Incident, in a very detailed account.（Collection of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature）

 

⌛Yang Tsu-chun (1955-), "Yang Kuei Talks about The February 28 Incident: The Veterans Are Not Willing To Rest in Peace Unless Their Wish Is Fulfilled." Issue 7 of the PROGRESS magazine｜March 3,1984. Yang Kuei recollected the days from the post-war period to the February 28 Incident, and his 12-year imprisonment for the "Declaration of Peace."（Donated by Chiang Mu）

 

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⭓ 1949, the April 6 Incident

During the April 6 Incident on April 6, 1949, the police banned two students from National Taiwan University and the Taiwan Provincial College (now the National Taiwan Normal University) from sharing a bicycle, which caused clashes between the police and the people. During the increasingly fiery student protests, armed soldiers were sent into the dormitories of the two schools to arrest some students; the two schools were ordered to suspend classes and require all students to re-register. Although the arrested students were released in batches, the pursuit continued into the 1950s, which became the starting point of the White Terror.

Chen Yu-cheng, the former general secretary of the student's self-governing body of Taiwan Provincial College, recalled, "I watched helplessly as more than 200 students, brothers in arms, were arrested and beaten by the reactionary Kuomintang authorities, and brutally suppressed. I felt furious and wretched."

 

⌛Chou Ting-yu, Prosecutor of the Taipei District Court of Taiwan, "Handwritten Transcript of The Letter of Non-Prosecution Regarding The April 6 Incident in 1949"｜September 6, 1949. In 1949, the government authorities banned two students from National Taiwan University and the Taiwan Provincial College (now the National Taiwan Normal University) for a "violation of traffic rules" by riding on a bicycle together and carried out an interrogation. This led to student protests and clashes with the police. Thereafter, more than 60 students were arrested, vanished and executed. This was the most serious incident involving students in the early post-war period, known as the "April 6 Incident in 1949." Many youngsters who died were "members of the Taiwanese Drama Club of National Taiwan Normal University."（Donated by Chiang Feng）
 

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⭓ 1959, August 7 Floods

On August 7, 1959, the central and southern areas of Taiwan were hit by Typhoon Alan, which caused astonishing torrential rain for three consecutive days. The typhoon brought about flash floods, affecting an area of 1,365 square kilometers, and killing 667 people, with over 300,000 victims. The total loss was about NT$3.7 billion. It was a major natural disaster, second only to the September 21st Earthquake and the August 8th Typhoon.

In the song book SONGS OF AUGUST 7 FLOODS, it reads, "Think how sorrowful it is, even if there is no death, that all properties are lost," and also describes the disaster scenes in detail, "A family in Sanyi, Maoli suffered heavy losses, as 13 dead bodies belonging to the members of the family were discovered by the disaster rescue team." And there were many sorrowful accounts of the incident written by classical poets.

 

 

⌛Lin Yu-lai, SONGS OF AUGUST 7 FLOODS｜Chu Lin Book Store. The August 7 Floods in 1959 affected a wide area covering 13 counties and cities, among which Miaoli, Taichung, Nantou, Changhua, Yunlin and Chiayi were the most severely damaged. This book was edited by Lin Yu-lai, and published by the Chu Lin Book Store, with descriptions about the disastrous situation of the flood as its main subject.（Collection of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature）

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⭓ 1960, Lei Chen Incident

In November 1949, political commentator Lei Chen founded the publication FREE CHINA. It became a consolidation force for liberal thinkers from within and outside the Kuomintang to criticize Chiang Kai-shek's dictatorship and promoted the opposition movement. In September 1960, No. 5, Vol. 23 of FREE CHINA published Yin Hai-kuang's article "The River Has an Irreversible Force Flowing Towards the East," alluding that the progress of party formation was irresistible. Lei was soon arrested by the Garrison Command on suspicion of sedition. He received a ten-year prison sentence. FREE CHINA was shut down, and the party formation movement also failed to continue.

According to THE ROMANTIC PATH TO DEMOCRACY: THE BIOGRAPHY OF LEI CHEN, Lei Chen opposed to Chiang Kai-shek's three-term re-elected presidency as being unconstitutional, and his call for the formation of a new political party prompted the Kuomintang government to become determined in resolving FREE CHINA and Lei respectively.
 

⌛The first issue of FREE CHINA｜Free China Magazine Publishing House, 1949. Founded in 1949, FREE CHINA was a periodical with open commentary on current affairs during the time of the White Terror. The magazine promoted the values of freedom and democracy, resisted the totalitarianism of the Communist Party, and hoped to bring freedom all over China.（Donated by Li Pao-wen）

 

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⭓ 1979, Kaohsiung Formosa Incident

On December 10, 1979, International Human Rights Day, "Tangwai people"(non-Kuomintang individuals) led by the Formosa Magazine Press, demonstrated in Kaohsiung, demanding democracy and freedom. The police banned the demonstration and clashed with the people who had long been dissatisfied with the oppressive authority. The government carried out full suppression. Thereafter, a number of important non-Party figures were arrested, and even sentenced to death for participating in the rebellion. Officially called the "Kaohsiung Rebellion Violent Incident," it is generally known as the "Kaohsiung Formosa Incident." The process of the grand trial aroused social discussions within Taiwan, and indirectly raised the public's awareness of democracy, which had a huge impact on the politics of Taiwan. As written on the back cover of TAIWAN's BEST MOMENTS 1977-1987: A NATIONAL MEMORY OF THE FORMOSA INCIDENT (Wu Nai-te, 2020), "Although the participants in the Kaohsiung Formosa Incident faced more severe repression, the democratic movement became all the stronger, with enthusiastic support from the people, finally forcing the authoritarian dictatorships to make concessions and compromises for more democracy.

 

⌛News about the trial on the Formosa Incident（Donated by Taipei City's Wu Yung-fu Cultural and Educational Foundation）

 

⌛Lecture by Yang Ching-chu (1940-), recorded by Chiang Cheng, "The Influence of The Formosa Incident on Taiwan Literature," Issue 3 of the TAIWAN ERA｜February 19, 1984. An excerpt regarding the localization of Taiwan literature, taken from Yang Ching-chu's speech at the Taiwan Literature Symposium co-hosted by the Taiwan Literature and Art Magazine and the supplement of the Independent Evening News in 1984.（Donated by Chiang Mu）

⌛Published by Huang Hsin-chieh (1928-1999), inaugural issue of the FORMOSA MAGAZINE｜Published by the Formosa Magazine Press, 1979. The FORMOSA MAGAZINE was founded by a group of Tangwai people (non-Kuomintang individuals) who were in pursuit of democracy, freedom, and human rights, aiming to motivate a new-generation political movement and to create a space without taboo, myths and subjugation by power, where compatriots who wished to speak on their own land could come and work together.（Donated by Lin Chin-peng）

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⭓ 1980, the Lin family massacre
⭓ 1981, Chen Wen-cheng Incident

On February 28, 1980, Lin Yi-hsiung, who was then a member of the Taiwan Provincial Consultative Council, was detained in the detention center due for trial regarding the Formosa Incident. Lin's mother, Yu A-mei, and his 7-year-old twin daughters Liang-chun and Ting-chun, were assassinated on that day. His eldest daughter, 9-year-old Lin Huan-chun, was seriously injured. This was known as the "Lin family massacre".

On July 2, 1981, Dr. Chen Wen-cheng, a statistics professor teaching in the United States, returned to Taiwan to visit his relatives. As he had made prior donations to the FORMOSA MAGAZINE, he was inexplicably taken away from his home for interrogation by the Garrison Command. Chen was found dead the next day on the lawn next to the Graduate Library of National Taiwan University.

These two consecutive and bizarre cases remained unsolved for decades and were considered to be political murders. Lin's mother's gravestone, erected by Lin Yi-hsiung, was inscribed, "Your kindness will always shine on us and our future generations"; it reminds us of the brutality of martial law, politics, and the rule by terror.

 

⌛Chuang Po-lin (1932-2015), "That Other Path – Farewell to the Former Chairman Lin Yi-Hsiung"｜This is a poem written by Chuang Po-lin for Lin Yi-hsiung, the former Chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party. The poem recounted Lin's pursuit of his political beliefs and praises his dedication and determination on such a solitary path.（Donated by Chuang Po-lin）

 

⌛Lin Yi-hsiung, Fang Su-min, etc., A SORROWFUL GRATITUDE: THE LIN FAMILY MASSACRE—A COLLECTION OF RELEVANT ESSAYS ON THE INDICTMENT AGAINST LIN YI-HSIUNG's INDICTMENT FOR REBELLION｜1980. The works by Lin Yi-hsiung and Fang Su-min include: "A Letter to the President and Compatriots in the Country," some letters from Lin Yi-hsiung to his sister, mother, and daughter, as well as the indictment against Lin Yi-hsiung for rebellion by the military prosecutor of the Taiwan Garrison Command.（Donated by Taipei City's Wu Yung-fu Cultural and Educational Foundation）

 

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⭓ 1989, Cheng Nan-jung Self-Immolation Incident

In 1984, Cheng Nan-jung, an intellectual, founded the FREEDOM ERA WEEKLY to criticize current affairs. The magazine received favorable public response. After the lifting of martial law, he continued to advocate for Taiwan's independence. In 1988, Hsu Shih-kai's DRAFT CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF TAIWAN was published in the magazine. In the following year, Cheng was accused for suspicion in supporting rebellion, but he refused to accept the court summons, claiming that "The Kuomintang can only arrest my dead body, not ever me alive." In the early morning of April 7^th, Cheng Nan-jung set himself on fire in the Editor-in-Chief's office when the police were about to forcibly break through the gate of the publisher's office.

The Cheng Nan-jung Incident caused a great visual shock to Taiwanese society. His words "I am Cheng Nan-jung; I advocate the independence of Taiwan" became an expression of courage in the pursuit of national autonomy.

 

   

⌛Huang Chin-lien (1947-), "You Are Taiwanese - A Tribute to Cheng Nan-jung," Issue 117 of the TAIWAN LITERARY ARTS｜May, 1989. Huang Chin-lien, a writer from Tainan, wrote a Taiwanese poem to mourn over Cheng Nan-jung, praising his sacrificial spirit for the independence of Taiwan, and claiming that he is Taiwanese with the true Taiwanese spirit.（Collection of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature）
 

  

⌛Cheng Nan-jung (1947-1989), "Independence, The Only Way for Taiwan To Survive," Issue 343-344 of the TAIWAN CHENGLIAN｜Joint month issue for May and June 1989, published by the World United Formosans for Independence. A Japanese periodical, this issue is subtitled "A Special Collection for Cheng Nan-jung, The Founding Martyr of Taiwan." "Independence, The Only Way for Taiwan To Survive" illustrates Cheng Nan-jung's advocacy for Taiwan's independence in a question-and-answer format, asserting that, as a realization of the people's freedom of speech, Taiwan's independence should be guaranteed.（Donated by Huang Tien-heng）

 

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⭓ 1999, the 921 Earthquake

At 1:47 a.m. on September 21, 1999, a reverse-fault earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 on the Richter scale and a duration of 102 seconds, occurred in the central mountainous area of Taiwan. The epicenter was located in Jiji Town, Nantou County. The earthquake caused 2,415 deaths, 29 missing, 11,305 injured, complete demolition of 51,711 houses, and partial damage to 53,768 houses. It was the natural disaster that caused the most casualties in Taiwan after the war.

While the 921 Earthquake occurred more than 20 years ago, it is believed that many people still have vivid terrified memories. As the poem "The Voice of The Earth" by poet Li Min-yung describes, "I heard / The sound of Taiwan's chest being torn apart / The moonlight amidst the darkness / The bandaged wounds." It took a long time for the whole of Taiwan to recover.

 

⌛Cheng Chiung-ming (1948-), "Falling Apart - Created for the 921 Earthquake"｜Cheng Chiung-ming wrote a modern Chinese poem about the 921 Earthquake. It describes the panic on the faces of the people, and the memory of the earth swallowing the dead. A yellow chrysanthemum is offered as a blessing for the dead to rest in peace.（Donated by Literary Taiwan Foundation）

 

⌛Tseng Mei-ling, "Mourning at Fall: A Chronicle of the 921 Earthquake"｜Tseng Mei-ling wrote a modern Chinese poem describing the devastating impact on the hopes, joys, and aspirations of human beings caused by the 921 Earthquake, with an encouraging message for everyone to build bridges for rebirth.（Donated by Literary Taiwan Foundation）
 

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⭓ 1990, the Wild Lily Student Movement
⭓ 2014, the Sunflower Student Movement

The Wild Lily Student Movement lasted from March 16^th to March 22^nd, 1990. Students protested at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Square due to the refusal to reform by representatives of the National Congress, and a series of student movements broke out in Taiwan. The movement was named after the statue of Wild Lily that was erected at the Square. President Lee Teng-hui accepted the four key demands of the students, and pushed for a comprehensive re-election of the Congress, which resulted in a transformational change in the political development of Taiwan.

The Sunflower Student Movement happened from March 18^th to April 10^th, 2014. Due to a hasty review and approval by the Legislative Yuan on the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement, the dissatisfied students assembled to break into the Legislative Yuan; they occupied the legislative chamber for more than 20 days. On-going democratic gatherings and live webcasts inside and outside the Legislative Yuan became like a national mobilization. Only when President Wang Jin-pyng of the Legislative Council promised to formulate conditions for supervision that the students and the masses were dismissed and the movement came to an end.

The Wild Lily Student Movement and the Sunflower Student Movement were 24 years apart. These were the two mega student movements that attracted international attention after the lifting of martial law in Taiwan. The Sunflower Student Movement displayed more innovative ideas in the execution owing to Internet technology. The song "Island's Sunrise" was popular at the time of the movement, with lyrics: "Pardon / My love / I will not accompany you to the movies / Forgive me / I can't get away / I want to fight against those who bully us."