Today, Taiwan's political system is considered a prime example of successful transformation into a democratic state with freedom of speech and press, free elections, and political parties. When the island of Taiwan was handed over to the Republic of China after the end of the Sino-Japanese War on September 9, 1945, the joy this brought was severely dampened on February 28, 1947, and with the flight of around 2 million people from the mainland to the island in 1949, relations did not improve under Chiang Kai-shek's harsh crackdown. It was not until 1987 that martial law was lifted in the Republic of China, with de facto control only over the province of Taiwan and a few islands off the mainland.

The reappraisal of the events surrounding February 28, 1947, reveals a new self-image and reappraisal of the country's own history—a presidential decree from 1995 provided the impetus. As a result, a park and museum in the heart of Taipei, within walking distance of the Presidential Palace, focuses on Taiwan and ultimately buries Chiang Kai-shek and the KMT's idea of “gloriously” reconquering the mainland and still winning the civil war against the communists. It is also a symbol of the tensions between “foreign provincials” 外省人 and ‘Taiwanese’ 台灣人, aiming to achieve peace and a shared identity for all people in Taiwan. Since then, the indigenous peoples of Taiwan have been viewed differently, and their languages, lifestyles, and cultures have been valued. Previously, they were disparagingly referred to as “mountain dwellers” 山地人.

On February 28, 1980, there was a second incident—the murder of the mother and siblings of human rights lawyer Lin I-hsiung. He himself was in prison, but his house was under strict surveillance. Nevertheless, someone was able to break in and carry out a massacre.?

Website of the "Memorial Foundation of 228External link"
Video recording of the book presentation?"The Tragedy of 228: Historical Truth and Transitional Justice in TaiwanExternal link" [YouTube]
Newspaper article by Lee Min-yung 李敏勇: "The significance of the 228 IncidentExternal link", Taipei Times, 02.25.2025?