Taipei, Feb. 27 (CNA) Nearly eight decades after the 228 Incident, Taiwanese civic groups are breathing new life into the preservation of a collective memory as part of a concerted effort to resist the erosion of history.
The 228 Incident refers to the bloody crackdowns on protesters and dissenters in the weeks and months that followed the brutal beating of a tobacco vendor in Taipei by government agents on Feb. 27, 1947.
The protests initially reflected pent-up dismay with the heavy-handed methods of the Kuomintang (KMT) regime, reflected in its treatment of the tobacco vendor, but they later erupted into islandwide demonstrations against the government that were met with lethal violence.
Estimates place the resulting death toll as high as 28,000.
On Friday afternoon, the eve of the incident's 79th anniversary, crowds of hundreds dressed in black gathered outside Taipei Municipal Rixin Elementary School for a rally organized by non-governmental organizations, with most participants in their 20s.
Chang Chia-en (張嘉恩), deputy CEO of a 228 commemoration team, told CNA that the high level of youth participation reflects a campaign started in 2025 to pass Taiwan's history to the next generation.
"The organizers used to be predominantly middle-aged, but we have begun actively engaging young people to help them understand what happened on this land," said the 22-year-old Chang, a senior in National Taiwan Normal University's Department of Sociology.
Participants in the "228.0 Memorial Action" march departed from Rixin Elementary School at 1:50 p.m. and headed toward the former site of the Tianma Tea House in Datong District, where the incident was sparked 79 years ago.
The procession continued to several significant historical sites, including the Taipei 228 Memorial Museum -- formerly a radio station that broadcast news of the uprising -- and concluded at the Executive Yuan, the site of the former Chief Executive's office that ordered the 1947 crackdown.
During the march, the names of victims were read aloud in Hokkien and Hakka to honor their memory, Chang said.
The youth-led nature of the event was striking: reception staff were as young as 17, and guides were roughly 20.
When the current CEO, who is in their 40s, steps down in 2027 and Chang assumes leadership, the entire team will consist of members aged 25 or younger, she said.
Describing this involvement as "bringing new energy and imagination to the rally," Chang noted that seeing young people performing sign language outside the Cabinet and scattering flowers in tribute shows that the torch of transitional justice has been passed to a new generation.
Now in its 10th year, the rally has seen its list of co-organizers grow from 28 civic groups to over 70 in 2026.
Of the 500 people who registered for this year's march, approximately one-third were expected to be aged 25 or under, Chang said.
Among the participants were 120 members of the Association of Parent Participating Education in Taiwan.
One member, a mother surnamed Chang (張), brought her two sons -- a second grader and a fifth grader -- for a second consecutive year.
"There are few opportunities for our children to learn about the 228 Incident in their daily lives," she said. "We want them to understand what occurred through this annual activity."
When asked about the event, however, her second-grade son responded with shy silence.
Meanwhile, 28-year-old Chang Yu-chieh (張瑀婕), who spoke on behalf of the younger generation at a pre-rally press conference, admitted that despite growing up in Datong District, she remained ignorant of the incident's true history until she was 20.
She expressed gratitude to those who have fought in the past to preserve this history.
"If people hadn't fought for this generation after generation, it would be impossible to see so many young people standing up today to let these flowers blossom."
