Xinhua News Agency, Taipei (Reporters Zhou Wenqi and Wang Chenghao) The sky is high and the clouds are clear, and white pigeons fly over the Machang Town Memorial Park in Taipei. On the 8th, the annual memorial service for victims of Taiwan’s white terror politics in the 1950s was held here. Hundreds of people from all walks of life on the island attended the meeting to pay tribute and observe a moment of silence for the martyrs who sacrificed their lives that year.

In the 1950s, white terror enveloped Taiwan. Many progressive people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait who embraced patriotism and pursued national reunification were arrested by the Taiwan authorities and sacrificed at the Racecourse Town execution ground. According to the Taiwan Mutual Aid Association for Political Victims, the group discovered four abandoned burial areas in Liuzhangli, Taipei in 1993, where the martyrs who died heroically were buried. After that, they held autumn festivals in Machang Town Park in successive years.

This year’s autumn festival has the theme of “Remembering History, Honoring Martyrs, Cross-Strait Unity, and Revitalizing China.” Participants include White Terror survivors from all over Taiwan, family members of White Terror victims, and representatives from all walks of life.

Taiwan Youth Representative Chen Zhuyin read the memorial message affectionately: "Rest in peace, comrades who died, your ideals will eventually be realized in the process of cross-strait reunification. Stop worrying about the motherland. The spirit of national unity and prosperity has always been our guiding light. Your history will eventually become the catalyst for the awakening of Taiwan's youth!"

"We cannot forget that in the process of cross-strait reunification, On the road to national rejuvenation, the martyrs’ blazing eyes looking toward the future when they face the executioners are the courage to continue to advance even in the face of sacrifice. " Zhou Hongqi, president of the Taiwan Political Victims Mutual Aid Association, said in his speech that bearing in mind the history, not forgetting the original intention, and persisting in marching forward bravely towards the bright future of cross-strait reunification and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation are the best comfort for the martyrs.

Chinese Kuomintang Chairman Zheng Liwen attended the autumn sacrifice ceremony that day and laid wreaths to the victims. She said that Taiwan had been under martial law for many years, and it was not until the 1990s that the history of blood and tears could finally be revealed from the dusty underground river. However, under the current rule of the Democratic Progressive Party, "the specter of authoritarianism and the specter of suppressing freedom of speech have once again enveloped Taiwan." She said that we must keep in mind the lessons that history has taught us and stand more firmly with the truth. Promoting cross-strait reconciliation, restoring historical truth, and rehabilitating political victims is a path that must be taken.

At the ceremony, all participants stood in awe, observed silence, laid flowers, and bowed three times. The "Peace Recitation Team" recited poems such as "Spring Sorrow", and the "Peace Singing Team" sang songs such as "Youth Battle Song" to commemorate the martyrs and pray for the future.

The reporter saw at the scene that participants laid down flowers on the memorial mound in the park. A huge banner spread out next to the flowers prominently read the four characters "Loyal Soul of the People".

The Taiwan Democratic Self-Government Alliance sent a memorial message from the mainland: Let us inherit the legacy of our martyrs and hold the country in mind, jointly curb the adventure of "Taiwan independence", and jointly promote the great cause of reunification. In this way, the martyrs can rest in peace, the living will have no regrets, and the rejuvenation of the nation will be just around the corner!