2-28 Incident, White Terror and Peace Memorial Day

Today is a national holiday - Peace Memorial Day, founded to commemorate the 2-28 Massacre that started on February 28, 1947 and continued into the period known as the White Terror, during which up to 30,000 dissidents were killed or disappeared in Taiwan.

After WW2, the UN removed Japanese control of Taiwan (then Formosa) and placed it in the hands of the Kuomintang (KMT) government, (then part of the pre-revolution Republic of China, but later being better know as the party of General Chiang Kai-shek, who formed a government/dictatorship in exile in Taiwan after being defeated by the communists in the mainland Chinese civil war.)

During the first 2 years of KMT rule under governer-general Chen Yi, they became renowned for corruption, mismanagement and nepotism. Inflation soared, causing widespread discontent especially amongst native Taiwanese. A flash point incident occurred when police confronted an elderly Taiwanese lady who was allegedly selling counterfeit cigarettes. When she resisted arrest, the police pistol-whipped her, sparking a flood of angry onlookers. When a stray warning shot killed a protester the rage spilled over into full scale riots, and the shooting of several unarmed protesters. The movement spread across the country and at their hight the anti-KMT movement took control of administrative centres and formed local community policing to keep civil order. Petitions were made to the UN to allow democracy, reduce corruption and even full Taiwanese independence.

The KMT, under Chen Yi, stalled in the negotiations, and in the meantime gathered a large army on the mainland. They arrived back in Taiwan on the 8th March and by the end of the month had killed 3000-4000 leaders of the rebels. There were reports of indiscriminate shooting of high-school boys, since they had formed the basis of the community police during the uprising.

The initial purge lead to a long period of single-party oppression, known as the White Terror, which lasted until the end of martial law in 1987, and during which time many thousands more Taiwanese were imprisoned, executed or disappeared for their political beliefs.

No mention of the massacre appeared in history books here until the progressive KMT president Lee Teng-hui publicly apologised in 1992, after which many memorials were built and this national holiday founded.

Now, the 2-28 incident is still a hot political issue, with the "pan-green" DPP (democratic) party often using it to vilify the KMT (reminiscent of GW Bush bringing up 9-11 whenever possible), while the "pan-blue" KMT (nationalist) coalition accuse their opponents of "hate speech" against mainland Chinese in Taiwan. Often relatives of 228 massacre victims are used in political publicity stunts, especially around election time (like now), often without due respect for their dignity and loss.

Money for the Earth God

We burned money for Tu Di Gong. Its a regular part of offerings at shrines here, just like food and incense, but especially at significant times of year like new year.
Theres a special little fire-house next to the shrine itself for this purpose.
Its not real cash, of course, but specially printed symbolic shrine-money. There's shops that sell pretty much nothing but paper money by the bag, incense and candles for offerings.

Once again, click on the slide-show to go to a full size gallery.

The Temple Generals

So heres another story from the fount of Chinese folklore in Angela encyclopoedic mind.
As told to Monkey.

Painted huge on either half of temple doors there are always a couple of intimidating and grim looking military gentlemen. A little incongruous with the more tranquil space inside, so whats the deal?

Once there was a dragon, well known for being a bit full of themselves. In Chinese mythology, the weather is controlled by dragons, on the orders of higher gods. This one dragon was in-between rainstorms when he saw the shop of a fortune teller. AHA, thought the dragon, NO MORTAL CAN SEE THE FUTURE. I WILL DENOUNCE THIS PRETENDER! So he went into the shop and challenged the old man to predict where rain would fall the next day. Even the dragon himself didnt know yet, since the orders had not yet been issued. The man made his prediction, and the dragon chuckled in anticipated triumph: TOMORROW I WILL COME BACK AND TEAR DOWN YOUR SIGN, YOU FRAUD! NO ONE CAN KNOW SUCH THINGS!

Off went the dragon with such smugness that only their species can muster. The next day he went to his godly master and received his rain orders for the day. To his horror, he realised that the old fortune teller had been right down to the last detail! But rather than admit himself wrong, he deliberately sent rain to places other than where he was ordered, and left areas dry that were destined for downpours. Then he went to the fortune tellers shop in triumph to claim the wager won. There the old man was in a terrible state. "What have you done?" he asked, "The gods are VERY angry. There is drought across half the land and floods on the plains! They have ordered your death by beheading at the hands of the Prime Minister!". The dragon knew this to be true and didn't dare return to his master, but asked the old man instead - WHAT SHOULD I DO?

"There is only one way to save your head" said the old man, after much thought. "You must go and plead your case to the Emperor himself, and ask him to detain the Prime Minister the day of your execution, so that he cannot be in the city to carry out your sentence." So the dragon went on bended knee to the Emperor and pleaded his good nature and the harshness of the penalty, and promised to be a good friend of the country for ever more, if only the Emperor would detain his Prime Minister for that afternoon that he was scheduled to be put to the axe. The Emperor was merciful, and agreed to his terms.

On the day of the execution, the Prime Minister was summoned to the Imperial Palace on state affairs, where he was kept busy for several hours, but it was not yet too late to return to the city. So the Emperor bade his remain for tea, and the Prime Minister could not refuse, although he was keen to get on with his other duties. But soon the tea was drunk, and still it was early, so the Emperor detained his minister by playing many games of chess, until they were exhausted and the Prime Minister fell asleep. "Good" thought the Emperor "that keeps him here, and the dragon safe." But after some time, the PM awoke and exclaimed "What a strange dream! I dreamt that I cut the head off a dragon!" And indeed the dragon had been executed, just as in the dream.

The dragon was understandably upset with this outcome, and took to haunting the Emperor each night. A fearsome sight indeed - an enraged dragon, holding his severed head beneath his foreleg! The Emperor could never sleep soundly and was tired all day. Eventually he ordered his two best generals to guard the door to his sleeping chamber, and to be on guard for dead dragons. This measure worked and for the first time in weeks, the Emperor was able sleep undisturbed. But of course he couldn't keep his two best generals at his door indefinitely, so he had his artists paint life size portraits of the soldiers on either side of his door, and lo behold! That worked just as well! Dragons are known more for their cunning and pride than their sheer intelligence it would seem...

So in memory of these two exceptional generals and their illusion, their images adorn either side of main temple doors, to protect the inhabitants from evil influences and angry ghosts...

There you go. You learned something new. So did I...

Pics

Click on the image to go to bigger versions.

The Year Beast

Xin Nian Kuai Le (新年快樂), happy lunar new year!
Seems as good a time to start a blog as any.

Got woken up at 7am by someone letting off a string of firecrackers outside the Tu Di Gong shrine by ooer wee hoosie. Set me thinking - why are Chinese folk so mad on firecrackers round this time?

(so I told this story to Monkey while we laid around in bed - nothing like a good lie in during the holiday season... Angela)

There's the story of the Nian, the Year Beast ("Nian/年" = Year), a fearsome creature that would emerge from the sea and terrorise villages around new year. Once there was a village that was preparing to flee inland before the time of the Nian's arrival, but one old granny was near to death and wanted to be able to spend the last of her time peacefully in her home. So she refused to leave with the others, and went about her daily chores. Later that day, a old beggar came through the village, but was puzzled to find no-one there, and no-one to beg from. When the old granny saw the beggar, she invited him to her house, because he looked hungry and tired. When he asked where all the people had gone, she explained that they had all fled before the Year Beast arrived. The beggar laughed and asked "Is that all it is? Leave the Nian to me. But do as I say. You must make dumplings, and no matter what you hear or imagine, you mustn't stop chopping!" So the old lady set to, chopping pork for the dumplings.
Meanwhile the beggar went off and made a long string of bamboo firecrackers and hung them all around the roof and door of the old granny's house. Then he went through the house and found all the red paper and fabric he could, and hung it over the walls of the house, and those of her neighbours.
Just then, the old lady heard the roar of the Year Beast, as it came charging into the village, looking for prey. It ran up and down streets, but couldn't find anyone, because they had all fled. But then it heard the sound of the old lady's knife chopping on her wooden board, and it turned towards her house. Just as it approached her door, the beggar set off the firecrackers, and suddenly the Beast was overwhelmed with loud bangs, the smell of sulphur, red colour everywhere it looked, and still the persistent sound of a knife striking a wooden chopping board. In its terror and confusion it fled the village, never to return again.
And that is why, around Chinese New Year, people decorate their houses in red, hang firecracker-like decorations all around, and let off real, loud firecrackers at every opportunity, even at 7 in the morning!

Happy Year of the Rat!