The 228 Hand-in-Hand Rally has received widespread coverage in newspapers and on TV programs. Former president Lee Teng-hui (
We at Chen's Taichung-based campaign headquarters are also busy. I've received many phone calls from people asking how to participate in the rally. Our office sent out 800 invitations asking people to participate in the section of the chain for which I am responsible, hoping to find 400 who would actually participate; to our surprise, nearly 1,000 people signed up.
Ever since I started taking part in organizing the rally, I've been thinking about why Feb. 28 was chosen as the date for this massive rally. The following represents my personal understanding.
Since I believe that the 228 Incident is a very important collective memory for the Taiwanese people, and one of the factors in the formation of Taiwan's contemporary nationalism, I am obliged to offer my thoughts for discussion. I hope this article can encourage more people to join this rally to protect Taiwan.
Taiwan's history of the last century or so can be divided into two parts.
The period beginning with Japan's occupation of Taiwan in 1895 and going through the end of World War II is modern history; the period thereafter belongs to contemporary history.
The 228 Incident is the biggest and most profound event in the nation's contemporary history. It is not too much to say that this event has defined the nation's subsequent development.
The 228 Incident has become a decisive point in Taiwan's contemporary nationalism.
Under Japanese colonial rule, the people were suppressed, but gradually cultivated their own awareness.
Then the 228 Incident smashed China's pipe dream, helping Taiwanese people become aware of the distinction between themselves and the Chinese people, and more decisively strengthening the self-awareness of the Taiwanese people.
Then, in the 1990s, Taiwan's localization developed when China intimidated Taiwan through propaganda and military force, resulting in a great transformation of Taiwanese self-awareness into national identification.
At the same time, also starting from the advent of Japanese rule, Taiwanese ethnic groups adjusted their attitudes toward each other, as evidenced in the Wushe Incident (
Provoked by the 228 Incident, self-awareness continued to grow. For example, faced with the strength of people with roots in China, other ethnic groups developed attitudes of mutual solidarity.
Then in the 1990s, when democratization was under way, the four main ethnic groups were encouraged to strengthen their identities while at the same time showing respect (not integration and assimilation) toward each other.
People's identification with the new nation and harmony inside the nation are two issues of great significance to Taiwan's contemporary nationalism. The 228 Incident began the process, which accelerated during the 1990s when Lee was president. It is meaningful that it is Lee who is behind this rally.
The historic significance of the 228 Hand-in-Hand Rally is that Taiwanese people, based on their national identification with Taiwan, will stand up to say "no" to foreign invaders -- namely China, which has said it will not hesitate to use military force to annex Taiwan.
Moreover, Taiwanese people joining hands will demonstrate harmony and solidarity among all ethnic groups.
Around 150,000 people participated in a demonstration in Taipei last September to call for changing Taiwan's official name. Nearly 200,000 people turned out in Kaohsiung last October to push for a referendum.
Along the same lines, we hope to mobilize 1 million Taiwanese to join hands and say "no" to China's missiles and its intention to use military force.
This is an expression of Taiwanese contemporary nationalism, the growing consensus of the need to say "no" to China and the great leap forward in national identification.
For the public to say "no" to China, there are three concrete measures to be followed.
First, stand up and join hands.
Second, vote for Chen, who advocates "one country on each side" of the Taiwan Strait, and help him push for a new constitution and eventual realization of the nation-building goal.
Third, vote in the "peace referendum" on March 20. Say "no" to China. Say "yes" to Taiwan. Taiwan's national security will then be ensured.
I call on everyone in Taiwan to participate in these three historic activities.
Let us push Taiwan's contemporary nationalism to its highest point and strengthen our sense of national identification.
Hsu Shih-kai is a co-founder of a group promoting the 228 Hand-in-Hand Rally.
Translated by Jackie Lin
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of