The period from Taiwan's retrocession through the February 28 Incident (an incident beginning on that date in 1947 when many people died in clas hes between native Taiwanese and the authorities newly arrived from mainland China following Taiwan's reunification with China at the end of World War Two) and throughout the 1950s, was perhaps the most critical period in Taiwan's history. The long period of the division of Taiwan from the mainland and today's struggle over reunification or in dependence can be traced back to this time. Where has Taiwan been going in recent years and from whence has it been coming? How should the people affirm their identity? Such are the perennial questions asked by both governing and opposition circles alike.

The existentialist philosopher, Karl Jaspers, said: "Our view of history supplies us with a place. Where does our existential consciousness come from? The historical picture becomes a factor of our judgement." Man is an animal with a consciousness who must seek his identity in history to confirm the significance of his existence. Without a correct and true historical picture, there can be no proper self-identification and no political judgement.

Over the years, there have been no complete and rigorous conclusions in the history of post-war Taiwan. This lack of true historical knowledge has meant that the problem of Taiwanese identity and the struggle over in dependence or reunification have remained unresolved issues, and there has been no lack of nonsensical speculation surrounding them. It cannot be said that this is not one of the main factors that has made it so difficult to find a compromise solution to the long-standing problem of just where Taiwan is going.

Love and Hate--February 28 is a book directed at this shortcoming. Between the two extremes of the government, on the one side, and the Taiwanese independence movement on the other, the truth about the February 28 Incident has remained hid demand there has been much wild talk about it both in Taiwan and abroad. Because many Taiwanese have become infected by the efforts of advocates of Taiwanese independence to create "a paranoid people," any cool consideration of the future of Taiwan has been obstructed and there has been a deepening of the irrational struggle over the issue of independence. In the wake of this conflict between the two extremes, Love and Hate--February 28 can be said to be a work of truly high standards, strict method, and rational outlook.

The author, Professor Tai Kuo-hui, says clearly in his first chapter that his aim in researching post-war Taiwanese history is to trace back the problem of Taiwanese identity after retrocession. It is a matter of," What significance do China and the Chinese people have for my existence? " Love and Hate--February 28 is the result of many years of toiling over this problem by the writer.

One aspect of the writer's research into the February 28 Incident is an examination of the difficulties that arose over the past hundred years out of the establishing of a modern nation under the oppression of foreign powers. Another aspect of the research is to discuss how different the situation in post-war Taiwan has been when compared with the liberation movements undertaken by other colonized peoples. In the two years following the defeat of Japan, every province in China saw large scale human upheavals; using the methods of the social sciences the author undertakes a deep exploration of those factors that were particular in bringing about the February 28 Incident in Taiwan.

It is the hope of the author that this rational and scientific research will break open the superstition and widespread myths that surround the February 28 Incident. A better future can thus be created by helping Taiwanese compatriots to come to terms with the basic nature of the conflict over independence, overcome the problem of identity, and find a proper answer to the question of just where Taiwan is headed.

The first two chapters of the first section of the book discuss the period of the defeat of Japan, retrocession, and the social psychology of attitudes held in Taiwan and the Chinese mainland. The third and fourth chapters look at the policies of Chen Yi, the governor of Taiwan at that time. Against the background of post-war reconstruction, a deep exposition is made of the beginnings of the February 28 Incident and a new assessment is made of Chen Yi that is very different to the commonly held view.

The second section, which is written by Yeh Yun-yun (chapters 5, 6, 7, 8 ), makes use of many written records, oral history, magazines and news paper archives, all of which are not easy to come by. A correspondingly fair account and in-depth analysis is made of the occurrence of the February 28 Incident itself.

In the third section of the book, Tai Kuo-hui directs himself especially to the lasting detrimental effects of the Incident on Taiwanese society--such as the problem of provincial belonging, language, the crisis of identity and the conflict between advocates and opponents of independence. By applying economic, political and psychological analysis, along with sociological theories to further his investigation, Tai hopes that the residents of Taiwan can at an early date overcome the lasting effects of the February 28 Incident and heal the wounds of history. Then we can progress towards a more reasonable society in a healthy state.

Throughout the book the author stresses the importance of rational knowledge and retrospection. He is of the opinion that the residents of Taiwan must break away from the constraints of American and Japanese consciousness and lay down an autonomous thinking for the Chinese people. Only then can some kind of true respect be established.

In the fourth chapter, the author points out that, "The Taiwanese people were not versed in politics at the time of the Incident, so the anger they showed and their actions had not yet broken out of the bonds of innocence. After forty years of history, the thinking and activities of the scholars and politicians of the opposition have still not really superseded these limitations, and even now they still linger over the wounds of that time." The author thinks that the February 28 Incident is something that the Taiwanese should look back at, that they should examine themselves and thus overcome the bonds of innocence. Because of this he again and again urges the Taiwanese independence activists to seek to turn the whole tragic experience into an historical lesson and not to use the scars of the Incident to stir up trouble for their own political advant age. He is especially critical towards that generation among Taiwan's academic circles who do not know how to look back, or who distort history so that they can use the February 28 Incident as a way to make a splash with the public.

The book's authors are both Taiwanese intellectuals who have been living abroad for many years, and the book is overflowing with patriotism and love for their land. What makes them different from advocates of Taiwanese independence is that the heated situation in their home country has not led them to go against reason. On the contrary, they hold the bonds of love among a people to be a reasonable value while doing their best fo seek the truth by utilizing their rich knowledge and the rigorous methods of the social sciences. According to the principle of "hate the event, not the people--forgive, but do not forget" their research has grasped the truth about the February 28 Incident. Dispelling the illusions of their fellow citizens, with calm language, they hope that Taiwanese society can at an early time draw the right lesson from the February 28 Incident and cast off its innocence. Then there can be a rational consideration of relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits, and plans can be made to bring about the peace and unity of the Chinese people. It can only be hoped that their work will not be interrupted, and that their wishes will not come to nothing.

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Authors: Tai Kuo-hui, Yeh Yung-yun

Publisher: Yuan-Liou Publishing Co.

Price: NT$280

Pages: 385

(photo by Pu Hua-chih)