(Taiwan – February 28, 2025) On the 78th anniversary of the Taiwan February 28 Incident, Pastor Bob Fu, president of ChinaAid, was invited to preach at the February 28 Incident 78th anniversary memorial service held at the Jinan Presbyterian Church in Taiwan.
On February 28, the memorial service began with 39 bell tolls, followed by the invocation of Psalm 85:10-11. The congregation sang the hymn Be Still, My Soul. Senior Pastor Ng Chhun-seng led the prayer and read Micah 6:8, Matthew 5:9, and Luke 4:18-19.
Pastor Fu delivered a sermon titled “Justice and Love Through the Lens of the 228 Incident: Memory and Hope in Faith.”
In his sermon, Pastor Fu emphasized that the February 28 Incident is a deeply unforgettable event in Taiwan’s history. On this day in 1947, the people of Taiwan cried out against injustice and oppression, yearning for a society that upholds fairness, justice, and respect for human rights. The government’s suppression led to bloodshed, arrests, and destruction, leaving countless families broken and displaced. This is not merely a historical event but a matter of justice.
Quoting Micah 6:8, Pastor Fu pointed out,
“Justice is not merely a matter of institutional design; it is a matter of faith. A church that truly fears God must be built upon justice and must not tolerate oppression, persecution, or unjust rule.”
He cited examples of religious persecution under the Chinese Communist Party, emphasizing that such oppression is not just a systemic issue but also a test of faith. Pastor Fu highlighted the severe persecution still faced by independent churches, the Catholic Church, Uyghurs, Tibetans, and pro-democracy activists in mainland China, stressing that they endure suffering because their actions are driven by faith.
He said that President Xi Jinping has launched three wars against the people, particularly a “war on faith.” First, Xi launched a war to demolish crosses. Many churches were torn down, the Ten Commandments were altered to nine, as Xi would not tolerate the first commandment. The government reviews sermon content, and faith has been ideologically reshaped.
The second war is against pastors and believers, including those in the state-sanctioned “Three-Self” (registered) churches. Pastors who refused to voluntarily remove crosses were arrested, with some sentenced to 12 or even 14 years in prison. Many Christians have been detained and sentenced. Pastor Fu cited an example from last Christmas, when ten house church Christians who were doing business and evangelizing in Tibet were formally arrested on Christmas Eve.
Pastor Fu pointed out that the third war launched by Xi Jinping is the prohibition of children and university students from engaging with religion. They are banned from entering churches. Students are subjected to faith-related tests, and if they reveal their Christian beliefs, they face expulsion, while their parents may lose social benefits.
Pastor Fu emphasized that these three wars are essentially “spiritual wars.” Citing Luke 4:18-19, he expressed hope for the release of the captives and freedom for the oppressed. He gave examples of China’s human rights lawyers, such as Gao Zhisheng, who defended religious freedom, endured years of torture, was sentenced to five years in prison, and, after his release, was forcibly disappeared for eight years. He also mentioned pro-democracy Christian Dr. Wang Bingzhang and the recent case of China pressuring Thailand to deport over 40 detained Uyghurs back to China.
Facing the trauma of the 228 Incident and the persecution by the Chinese Communist Party, Pastor Fu said,
“The love of Christ is the power behind our actions. To remember history is to ensure that justice is not silenced. These 39 bell tolls are also meant to awaken our sleeping souls. The Lord Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers.’ Peace is not about forgetting pain, but about confronting history and courageously pursuing justice.”
Pastor Fu praised the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan for its long-standing commitment to public and social ethics. He stated,
“The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan has always played a crucial role in social justice. From the 228 Incident to Taiwan’s democratization movement, the church has continuously urged the government to face the truth and promote reconciliation. Today, we still speak out for the oppressed, fervently pray over unjust events, and stand firm for truth and justice—just as Jinan Church has always done.”
Pastor Fu also offered practical suggestions to the congregation, urging them to pray continuously for believers and to connect with the global church. He pointed out that over 60 churches worldwide are facing various forms of persecution, and God’s church in China is also enduring it. How should the church in Taiwan respond, given its own painful past? Citing 1 Corinthians 12:26, he said:
“If one part suffers, all the part suffers with it.”
He emphasized that Christians cannot remain indifferent to their persecuted brothers and sisters, but should respond with prayer, support, concern, and action, recognizing their needs and care for them.
“Overcoming hatred with love. Responding to suffering with faith. Seek forgiveness and reconciliation. The love of Christ does not negate justice; rather, it seeks a deeper hope and reconciliation through justice. Suffering will bring with a deeper redemptive mission.
In the face of the CCP’s religious persecution, we also do not fight hatred with hatred. Instead, we stand firm in our Christian faith and face persecution with the love of the Lord.”
In his view, the Gospel is eternally victorious. Even the persecutors of faith, he said, are merely reacting passively and defensively to the Gospel, which has already triumphed and will forever be victorious.
He stated that the early church Christians, despite persecution, bore witness to the Lord’s glory through faith, prayer, and unity.
Finally, Pastor Fu quoted a prison poem written by Pastor John Cao, who was imprisoned by the Chinese government for seven years:
FROM OVER THE MIGHTY WATERS
You can take away my freedom,
but you can’t take my prayers.
My prayers have wings
and leap over the towering iron mesh wall.
Many brothers and sisters have heard them.
They fly freely every day
and reach Heaven on the blue sky.
You can impose heavy punishments on me,
but you cannot hold
my spirit and my soul.
Like cheerful yellowbirds,
they raise gentle praises
over the iron gate.
my Savior must have heard my voice.
You can deprive me of the sun
and of warmth.
I eat cold leftovers every day,
but you can never extinguish
the brightness
that the Lord placed in my heart.
Greetings from all over the world
warm me.
My passion flutters.
Do you think that I am lonely?
In your 70 years of persecution,
have you seen any Christian walking alone?
Turning onto the history of the millennium,
which page does not reveal
suffering with joy for Christians?
Which page does not show
blood sprinkled
on the narrow path of the thorns?
You think that the walls around me
block my vision
and make me uncertain of the direction.
I never focus on my environment,
but with my eyes.
I look up.
You, like someone blind
ride on the horse,
thinking that everyone
crosses the river
by feeling the stones.
No matter what…
the rod of my Shepherd
comforts my heart.
My Lord helps
and leads me to move forward.
The National Party jailed your ancestors.
How can I not endure your hard labor?
I really love you,
and long for you to repent.
Like Paul,
I wish that
I myself were cursed
and cut off from Christ
for the sake of my brothers,
for those of my own race.
You see me
as an irreconcilable enemy
and thrust me into the meat grinder.
Still, I regard you
as my blood brother,
Not because I am afraid of you,
but because
Jesus loves you.
Therefore, I love you.
As he concluded his sermon, Pastor Fu expressed his hope that the church in Taiwan would become a witness of justice, a messenger of peace, and a light of love and hope.
In his closing prayer, he said:
“The wounds of history have torn through countless lives, leaving sorrow and regret. But God’s word in Psalm 34:18 says, ‘The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.’ We plead with God to comfort the suffering hearts, to heal the wounds passed down through generations… May the truth be revealed, and the voices of the oppressed be heard. We ask God to grant the grace of forgiveness and reconciliation, so that hatred may cease, and love and peace may become the foundation of this land.”
The theme of this year’s February 28 Incident memorial service was “Sowing the Seeds of History, Sprouting the Shoots of Justice.”
Attendees included Zhou Fengsuo, a survivor of the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre (from the U.S.), former Chinese judge Li Jianfeng, who was imprisoned for 12 years (from Canada), and family members of the February 28 Incident’s victims.
Background of the 228 Incident/ Massacre
According to publicly available information from the February 28 Incident Memorial Foundation, the February 28 Massacre occurred less than a year and a half after World War II, with a complex background that cannot be explained by a single factor.
Due to fifty years of Japanese colonial rule, the people of Taiwan lacked understanding of China’s political system and social conditions. By the end of 1945, their expectations were unmet. Political participation and treatment were highly unequal.
Economically, improper regulatory policies led to industrial decline, soaring prices, and severe unemployment. Socially, former Taiwanese soldiers who had served in the Japanese army returned home but found no employment opportunities, gradually forming an undercurrent of dissatisfaction with the government. At the time, Governor Chen Yi was known for his obstinate personality, and relations between the government and the people were strained.
The 228 Incident stemmed from a mishandled case involving anti-smuggling officers and military police seizing contraband cigarettes, which eventually led to protests, strikes, and demonstrations in Taipei on February 28. That day, government guards opened fire on petitioners, escalating the chaos.
What began as a call for justice turned into a confrontation with government authorities, further intensifying ethnic tensions. The conflict quickly spread across the island, turning what was originally a security incident into a political movement. Local leaders seized the opportunity to demand comprehensive reforms, and in some areas, armed conflicts broke out as military and police weapons were seized.
Chen Yi initially intended to handle the situation through political means and de-escalation. However, what started as a simple petition for justice evolved into a broader political reform movement, with increasingly heightened demands fueled by public outrage. This led the central government to perceive the movement as “treason,” providing a pretext for security forces to request military suppression.
Troops from mainland China carried out a military crackdown, followed by sweeping “cleanup” operations. Many suspects were arbitrarily accused, some due to personal vendettas, and military authorities made indiscriminate arrests without thorough investigation, leading to numerous wrongful convictions. The incident resulted in the loss of an entire generation of Taiwan’s intellectual elites.
The painful lessons of the 228 Incident have led the Taiwanese authorities to no longer evade responsibility for the misjudged suppression at the time. They have provided compensation and recognition for innocent victims. People from all sectors of Taiwanese society acknowledge the unique circumstances of that era and seek to heal the wounds of this tragedy with a spirit of tolerance and reconciliation, working together toward a better future.
(Reported by Special Correspondent Gao Zhensai of ChinaAid)
