Xinhua Insight: Marking Feb. 28 uprising with truth, not hatred

People across Taiwan on Tuesday marked a civilian uprising that occured on the island 70 years ago, mourning the victims and calling for an understanding of the true nature of the event.

"The Feb. 28 uprising was against the autocratic rule of the Kuomintang Party (KMT) on the island at the time, and has no connection with current 'Taiwan independence,'" said Chen Ming-chung, 88, a participant of the uprising, at a symposium in Taipei.

On Feb. 28, 1947, a KMT police team assaulted a woman near Taipei railway station for selling contraband cigarettes.

The incident triggered a bloody confrontation between Taiwan civilians and the KMT authorities, which developed into an island-wide movement against the autocratic rule of the KMT.

The symposium, among various ceremonies held across the island Tuesday, was attended by more than 100 people including participants of the uprising and their family members, as well as historians and academics.

Last week, a symposium was also held in Beijing to commemorate the uprising. The event was attended by senior officials.

"Seventy years on, we are still commemorating the incident not only because we want to mourn the dead but also to reveal the truth of the incident, which is now being twisted by 'Taiwan independence' secessionist forces as a movement for independence," Huang Xing, who also participated in the uprising, told Xinhua in an interview.

Huang was born in 1924 in Tainan city, Taiwan, and grew up during the occupation of Japanese invaders.

After the KMT took over the island in 1945, Taiwan civilians cheered and excitedly welcomed it, according to Huang. However, people's expectations for a better life were not met due to poor governing by the KMT.

"People were disappointed at officials' corruption, chaotic social orders and a stagnant economy, and tensions gradually lurked between the KMT authorities and the people," Huang said. "The complaints piled up and finally the Feb. 28 incident erupted. It was an spontaneous movement without any instigation or mobilization."

Huang, then a student majoring in mechanics at Taiwan University, plotted to seize an arsenal of the KMT army with other civilians, but the action foundered due to bad weather.

He later hid in an attic for more than 10 days to escape police arrest. In September 1948, he left Taiwan for Shanghai.

Huang is infuriated that secessionist forces have long distorted the facts of the uprising and called it the beginning of the "Taiwan independence" movement.

"We opposed the autocratic rulers and asked for survival, democracy and freedom, demonstrating pure patriotism," Huang said, adding there were no ideas, propositions or slogans related to "Taiwan independence" during the weeks-long uprising.

He said the best way to console the dead was to restore the truth and firmly oppose "Taiwan independence" activities.

"The Feb. 28 movement in Taiwan also gained wide supports from the mainland," said Wang Hsiao-po, a professor of history from Taiwan's Shi Hsin University.

On March 8, 1947, the Communist Party of China central authorities issued a statement via radio to support the uprising. Statesmen, celebrities and ordinary people on the mainland also voiced their support for Taiwan civilians, according to Wang, adding that it was another sign that the uprising was not about independence.

After the uprising failed, some organizers of the campaign, in Hong Kong, founded the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League, one of the current eight non-communist parties on the Chinese mainland, according to Zhang Kehui, former chairman of the league's central committee.

One of the main propositions of the league has always been opposing Taiwan independence, according to Zhang.

"Some people are distorting history and inciting hatred for political purposes," said Chang Ya-chung, a professor at Taiwan University. He called on the ruling Democratic Progressive Party to help relieve the hatred and stop "consuming" the historical incident for its own benefit.

"The truth has been in place, and now it's time to settle the debts owed to the history," Wang said. Endi