228 Museum

While in Taipei, I went to the 228 Memorial Museum with my Brother-in-Law and one of his daughters. I have written about the 228 Incident and subsequent White Terror before(12/06/09), but this was chance to see the whole story in one place.

Seeing the artifacts from that time gives you a sense of the transition from Japanese time to the Mainland Chinese.

Although most of the displays are in Chinese there is a good English summary at stations along the tour.

I liked the political cartoons at the time as they give a feeling for the political situation at that time. Here Chiang Kai-Shek is draining the live from Chinese
populace.

Here is a blowup of a woodcut that appeared in the Hong Kong Newspaper after the initial 228 Incident from an eyewitness.

The Museum tries to document the number of people killed, the figure is some where between 10,000 and 30,000. My Brother-in-Law, who was about 10 at the time recognized some of the victims from his hometown, Ilan.

 Also documented is the families that perserved after their fathers, brothers and sons were executed.

The Museum has the feel of the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C., there are those common elements in every such tragedy.