Chiang Kai-Shek

228 Anniversary Reminds of Continued Struggle for Transitional Justice in Taiwan

On the 76th anniversary of the 228 Massacre, commemorations were held to memorialize the event, traditionally viewed as the start of the decades-long White Terror that followed. This includes many events held annually, such as the Gongsheng Music Festival–the indie rock festival held on Ketagalan Boulevard organized by civil society groups–as well as commemorations by the government. Nevertheless, the anniversary of the 228 Massacre should point to how the pan-Blue camp in Taiwan has generally sought to avoid reckoning with its authoritarian past...

Legal Case Over Chiang Diaries Reflects Struggle Over Historical Memory

The Taiwan High Court ruled earlier this week that the diaries of Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo from when they were president belong to the state, upholding a ruling by the Taipei District Court from June 2020. The decision from June 2020 also stated that the papers written by the Chiangs when they were not president belong to their heirs, and this was upheld in the most recent ruling. Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo, of course, ruled over Taiwan during the authoritarian era, as father and son strongmen...

Tsai Stokes Controversy with Speech at Chiang Ching-Kuo Park Opening

A memorial park to Chiang Ching-kuo in Taipei has become a contested political issue, due to the fact that the park memorializes a dictator. Plans for opening the park were condemned by the Transitional Justice Commission. Nevertheless, this did not prevent President Tsai Ing-wen from speaking at the park’s opening ceremonies, in an unusual move that provoked controversy among many members of the pan-Green camp...