I had never heard of this until last time we were in Taiwan, and we went up to the top of the Shin Kong building, and I saw a park in Taipei I didn’t remember ever going to. I asked Jenny’s cousin Yvonne, “What’s that?”

Learn about 228 at the Taipei Times

The 228 Incident was a military crackdown on civilian protests that broke out on Feb. 27, 1947, against the KMT administration. Historians estimate that around 30,000 people were killed.

A a female cigarette vendor who was selling illegal cigarettes to make ends meet was caught by KMT revenue agents on Yen-ping North Road in Taipei City. The Tobacco Monopoly Bureau agents injured her and mistakenly killed a bystander.

Crowds demonstrated in protest, demanding punishment of the killers. They were, however, met with gunfire, igniting a fury of widespread public protest across the island the following day. To resolve the conflict, Chen Yi — then chief executive officer of the Taiwan Provincial Government — requested military assistance from Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, who later dispatched troops to Taiwan.