228 Peace Memorial Park Audio Guide

228 Peace Memorial Park: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to 228 Peace Memorial Park

   Welcome to 228 Peace Memorial Park, a green pocket in the middle of Taipei. You will find it at 3 Ketagalan Boulevard in Zhongzheng District, close to the Presidential Office Building and the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. It covers 7.618 hectares, and its edges are drawn by four streets: Ketagalan Boulevard to the south, Xiangyang Road to the north, Gongyuan Road to the east and Huaining Street to the west. On a sunny day it looks like any city park. Flower beds change with the seasons, there are shady arbors and bushes, and there is a children's playground. Families, couples and strollers all come here to escape the concrete around them. Yet the park also carries a somber feeling, because its name points to a tragedy. It is a memorial to the victims of the February 28 Incident of 1947. Over the next few minutes we will walk through the park's layered past: its earlier names, the day the story of 228 unfolded here, the monuments and old locomotives scattered among the paths, and the literary life this park has had. If you are arriving by metro, take the Tamsui-Xinyi Line to National Taiwan University Hospital Station and leave through Exit 1.

2. 02

   A Park With Many Names

   This park has changed its name more than once, and each name tells you something. It began as Taipei Park, and later became known as New Park. Its modern name, 228 Peace Park, was given in 1996. How old is the park? Two accounts survive. One says it was established in the Qing Dynasty and is the oldest park in Taipei. The other says it was established in 1908 as the first European-style park in central Taipei. Either way, you are standing in a green space with deep roots in the city's history. The current name is the most meaningful one. Britannica notes that the park is named for the date, February 28, when the massacre began. Renaming the park in 1996 was meant to ease a historic pain. A place once known simply as a city park became a place of remembrance, and the word peace in its title is an invitation to reflect.

3. 03

   The Story of February 1947

   228 Peace Memorial Park: It was built in 1888 to honor Âng Thîng-hûn, who in 1880 donated land for the Taipei Prefecture Examination Hall.

   To understand the park, picture Taiwan after World War II. The Kuomintang government took over the island, which had previously been part of Japan. The new administration worked to remove Japanese influence and promote pan-Chinese cultural values, and it took control of former state-run industries such as mining, sugar, tea and tobacco. Economic monopoly and corruption stirred growing resentment, and civil resistance followed. The next day, people gathered in what was then Taipei Park and broadcast the movement from the radio station. The government answered with military force against the protesters, and it arrested alleged participants afterward. The date when the massacre began, February 28, gives the park its name. That is why the park feels different from other green spaces in a busy capital. Nearly 80 years later this is still a deeply felt chapter, and a memorial monument in the park gives a detailed description of the 228 event so visitors can learn from this painful lesson. Take a quiet moment here before you continue.

4. 04

   Monuments, Museums and Old Locomotives

   228 Peace Memorial Park: A colonial-era archway, a nineteenth-century locomotive, a bell tower with a message of peace, a museum devoted to memory, and children playing close by.

   Now let's look at what the park holds. In the east stands the 228 Memorial Museum, a place to discover, remember and mourn the incident. In November 2019 the Bureau of Cultural Heritage declared the museum a cultural asset. The park is also home to the National Taiwan Museum, so history lovers can easily spend an afternoon here. South of the open-air theater you will find the Jigonghaoyi Archway, whose name means Anxious for Justice. It was built in 1888 to honor Âng Thîng-hûn, who in 1880 donated land for the Taipei Prefecture Examination Hall. The Japanese colonial government later moved it from present-day Hengyang Road to its place in the park. Look also for the Broadcast Kiosk and Huang's Filial Piety Memorial Archway. Rail fans have a treat too. West of the main entrance on Guanqian Road stands an old locomotive made in 1871. On its left stands Tenyun, Taiwan's first steam locomotive, made in 1887. To the south, flower beds lead toward the Peace Bell Tower, which symbolizes liberty, peace and never-ending life.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   Before you leave, remember that this park can be read in several ways. It is a city green space and a memorial. It is also a place with a literary life: Pai Hsien-yung chose it as the main setting for his novel Crystal Boys, which draws on the park's reputation as a place for gay cruising activity. One small patch of Taipei holds many different stories. As you wander, notice how the layers sit side by side. A colonial-era archway, a nineteenth-century locomotive, a bell tower with a message of peace, a museum devoted to memory, and children playing close by. Which of these speaks to you most? If you have time, walk the paths in a slow loop and let the park reveal itself. Read the monument's inscription, find the archway and the locomotives, and listen to the city around you. There is always another corner of the story waiting just a few steps away.