2026 marks the 79th anniversary of the February 28th incident. 

In 1947, Taiwanese people stood up against the Kuomintang’s nationalist government after a murder committed by the government’s tobacco investigator. This incident led to a wide clash between the Taiwanese locals and the newcomers from China. Soldiers fired upon the protesters and civilians across the island after the incident.

Two years after the incident, Taiwan entered the “White Terror” period, when the society was controlled by martial law. During the White Terror, countless Taiwanese civilians, mostly suspected leftists and intellectuals, were unjustly arrested and executed. The island was under an atmosphere of fear, surveillance, and self-censorship.

Last year, A Foggy Tale (大濛), Taiwanese filmmaker Chen Yu-hsun’s latest feature on the White Terror, took the top prize at the Golden Horse Awards in Taipei. It is a moving take on how people find courage in a foggy, authoritarian era. 

This week, we’ll learn a few lines from “A Foggy Midnight” (大濛的暗眠), the film’s theme song, so that you can sing along to this beautiful tune.