The 228 Park

Gunshots thundered through the city and cries and screams were scattered here and there. Innocent people executed were dumped and left out all over the JiaYi roundabout fountain. After more than three generations, people are still trying to uncover the hidden stories or maybe forgotten tragedies. With the help of documentaries, books, political activities, and social campaigns, more and more people are aware of 228 Event in Taiwan.

To unfold the tragedy is not to determine who to blame but how to make up for those suffered, and pay respect to those murdered.

In Taiwan there’re quite a few parks built in memory of this event and those sacrificed. Standing in the crossings of main roads and being crawling with tall trees, the 228 park in Jiayi isn’t difficult to be spotted. As far as parks of Jiayi are concerned, 228 Park is the only one where you can find the thick and really tall trees. The short wilding path running through it leads to a tiny slope where I can overlook the roads surrounding the park. Strolling in the path I felt the breeze cool. Instead of shooting down the heat, the sunlight just glittered through the leaves. Those trees isolated me from the busy roads trampled by vehicles. I felt like running, running the way the Alice in Wonderland does to chase the rabbit. Then I realized I started to believe how important those warm-up activities are before you do any exercises especially something extreme like sprint.

I sprained my left ankle at the point when I rush up the slope.

Before this happened, everything was so perfect that I thought it would be awesome if a set of table and a cup of coffee are served right in there. But there’s something more important waiting for me than this tiny forest. This small accident came right in time to navigate me to another stop: 228 exhibition.

Next to the micro forest, I came to an exhibition room, where instead of historical documentation is displayed, only a few framed pictures hanging over the room. There’s another room in that building, but it’s for non-periodical exhibitions or display only. The interior of this building is a real shame to the façade and the whole park. Though it cost nothing to get in the exhibition, it shouldn’t be like that. Honestly, that is really one of the most crappy exhibition I’ve ever been.

Finally I went home with disappointment. Except for the exhibition, the park is quite well designed overall compared with other parks in Jiayi. In the end I would like to pay my condolences to those sacrificed and suffered in the 228 event.