The 2-28 Incident

On February 27, 1947, a street vendor was accused of selling contraband cigarettes by two Monopoly Bureau agents, who then seized the vendor's stock and brutally beat her. A crowd of people witnessed the beating and chased the agents. One of the agents shot into the crowd as he ran away, killing one person. The following day, a group of angry Taiwanese, many who witnessed the shooting, marched in protest. The crowd had prepared a petition for Governor-general Chen Yi requesting that he punish the agents. Upon reaching the governor's office, they were met with gunfire, igniting a conflict between the military and civilians. Taiwanese around the island had been mobilized to take action, and riots ensued.

A few days later, a group of Taiwanese leaders, together with Nationalist representatives, formed the “2-28 Settlement Committee.” As the committee attempted to negotiate a settlement, Nationalist troops continued killing. At the start, the Taiwanese had merely requested punishment for the agents, along with government reforms, and the situation gradually stabilized. A small minority of the public resorted to force in protest, but most preferred the route of negotiation.

At the time, the Nationalist government's forces on Taiwan were insufficient to quell a local uprising. While the government promised to not bring any more troops to Taiwan, it was secretly mobilizing all of its troops on the island and made a secret dispatch to Nanjing requesting reinforcements from the mainland.

On March 7, as soon as Chen Yi had confirmation that Nationalist reinforcements were on their way, he refused to grant the Committee's “32 Demands.” On March 8, Nationalist troops arrived at Keelung Harbor, inflicting massive bloodshed. Many of society's finest members had sacrificed their lives.

The Taiwanese fell into silence once again, as the long period of the "White Terror" was just beginning.