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A riot that let to decades of martial law is remembered

A riot that let to decades of martial law is remembered in a park in the heart of Taipei that contains museums, monuments, water features, statues and even a children’s playground and café. Today, it is a popular place to wander round and relax in a peaceful atmosphere but without forgetting the sacrifices that allow peace to rule in the country. Monument in the centre of the 2/28 Peace Park in TaipeiPhoto by Steve Rogerson Those wandering the markets and streets in the area south of the Taipei Main Station will more likely than not come across a grassy area fronted by the Taiwan National Museum and known as the 2/28 Peace Park. The park itself was established in 1908 but has only been known as the 2/28 Peace Park since 1996 when it became a dedicated memorial to the 228 Incident of 1947.The root causes of the incident date back two years earlier when Japan relinquished control of the island at the end of the Second World War, but the new Taiwanese national government was full of corruption and ruled badly as unemployment increased and prices rose steeply.

The country was like a powder keg and it needed a single spark to set it off.The spark was struck on 27 February 1947 when a 40-year-old woman was caught selling illegal cigarettes in the city and an officer hit her with the butt of his pistol. The reaction of locals watching the exchange was instant and a riot broke out and a civilian was shot dead. By the following day – 28 February after which the incident is named using the American system of writing dates – the riot had spread and there were anti-government protests across the country. Protesters even seized the local radio station, which is now the home of the 228 Memorial Museum in the park.During the days that followed, many people were arrested and killed and, eventually, martial law was imposed and stayed in place for 40 years, until 1987, when it was relaxed and the country saw the beginnings of its modern day democracy.

228 Memorial MuseumPhoto by Steve Rogerson 228 Memorial MuseumIn the south-east corner of the park, the Taipei Broadcasting Studio was built by the Japanese in 1930 and it stayed a radio station until 1973 when it became the home of the government’s Parks and Street Lights Office. In 1997, it was turned into a museum dedicated to telling the story of the 228 Incident.Though nearly all the exhibits are labelled in Chinese, visitors can take advantage of free audio devices that explain the tour in Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka, Japanese or English. The 12 sections of the museum take visitors from the 1920s to help them understand the events in 1947, through the 228 Incident itself and the repression that followed to the modern peace movement for justice after martial law was abolished and ends in what is known as the International Human Rights Forest, pop up display suppliers

a dedication to human rights movements around the world.The museum is closed on Mondays and the day after national holidays.