Japan’s defeat in the Second World War returned Taiwan to the Republic of China (ROC), the government that had been founded on the mainland in 1912 following the collapse of the Qing Dynasty. Taiwan was ruled under Kuomintang (KMT), Chinese Nationalist Party. The authoritarian administration led to a series of conflicts between Mainlanders（外省人） and the local Taiwanese （本省人）. An incident on 28 February 1947 saw the killing of thousands of Taiwanese civilians and intellectuals by mainland-origin KMT forces following a crackdown on protests. The exact death toll remains disputed, with estimates ranging widely, but the 228 Incident left a profound impact in Taiwanese society that took decades to begin acknowledging and healing. The date is now a national memorial day, and a significant museum and peace park in Taipei are dedicated to its memory. For travellers seeking to understand the complexity of Taiwanese identity, a visit to the 228 Peace Memorial Park is illuminating.

In 1949, the Chinese Civil War ended with the Communist Party of China victorious on the mainland. Chiang Kai-shek and the ROC government retreated to Taiwan along with roughly 1.2 million soldiers, officials, intellectuals, and civilians. This influx of approximately six to seven million people created enormous social tensions and demographic complexity. The KMT martial law lasted from 1949 until 1987, making it one of the longest periods of martial law in modern history. Political opposition was suppressed during that time. White Terror claimed thousands of lives, and Taiwan’s public identity was officially framed as the legitimate government of all China awaiting retaking of the mainland.