The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall () is a
national monument,
landmark and tourist attraction erected in memory of Generalissimo
Chiang Kai-shek, former
President of the Republic of China. It is located in
Taipei
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...
.
The monument, surrounded by a park, stands at the east end of Memorial Hall Square. It is flanked on the north and south by the
National Theater and National Concert Hall.
Description
The Memorial Hall is white with four sides. The roof is blue and octagonal, a shape that picks up the
symbolism of the number eight, a number traditionally associated in China with abundance and good fortune. Two sets of white stairs, each with 89 steps to represent Chiang's age at the time of his death, lead to the main entrance. The ground level of the memorial houses a library and a museum documenting Chiang Kai-shek's life and career, with exhibits detailing Taiwan's history and development. The upper level contains the main hall, in which a large statue of Chiang Kai-shek is located, and where a guard mounting ceremony takes place at regular intervals.
Development
![Military parade in front of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Military_parade_in_front_of_Chiang_Kai-shek_Memorial_Hall.jpg)
After
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Chiang Kai-shek died on 5 April 1975, the
Executive branch of the government established a Funeral Committee to build a memorial. The design, by architect
Yang Cho-cheng
Yang Cho-cheng (; 1914 – 26 November 2006) was an internationally renowned Chinese architect. One of his best-known works is the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, a major landmark in Taipei – with his design being chosen from entries in an in ...
, was chosen in a competition. Yang's design incorporated many elements of traditional Chinese
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
to mirror that of the
Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum
Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum () is situated at the foot of the second peak of Purple Mountain (Nanjing), Purple Mountain in Nanjing, China. Construction of the tomb started in January 1926, and was finished in spring of 1929. The architect was L ...
in
Nanjing
Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...
in mainland China. (The
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...
(KMT) revered Dr.
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...
as founder of the party and the
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...
Chiang had led.) Groundbreaking for the memorial took place on 31 October 1976, the 90th anniversary of Chiang's birth. The hall officially opened on 5 April 1980, the fifth anniversary of the leader's death.
Yang's design placed the main building at the east end of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Park (), covering over in
Zhongzheng District
Zhongzheng District (also Jhongjheng District) is a district in Taipei. It is home to most of the national government buildings of the Republic of China (Taiwan), including the Presidential Office, the Executive Yuan, the Control Yuan, the ...
. A main gate, the Gate of Great Centrality and Perfect Uprightness () was placed at the west end on Chung Shan South Road, with a Gate of Great Loyalty () standing at the north side on Hsin Yi (Xinyi) Road and a Gate of Great Piety () standing at the south side on Ai Kuo (Aiguo) East Road. A Boulevard of Homage, bordered by manicured bushes, connected the main hall with the square.
Subsequent history
The square became Taipei's site of choice for mass gatherings as soon as it opened. The nature of many of those gatherings gave the site new public meanings. The hall and square became the hub of events in the 1980s and early 1990s that ushered Taiwan into its era of modern
democracy
Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...
. Of the many pro-democracy demonstrations that took place at the square, the most influential were the
Wild Lily student movement
Taiwan's Wild Lily student movement () or March student movement was a six-day student demonstration in 1990 for democracy. The sit-in at Memorial Square in Taipei (since rededicated as Liberty Square in commemoration of the movement) was init ...
rallies of 1990. The movement provided the impetus for the far-reaching political reforms of President
Lee Teng-hui. These culminated in the first
popular elections of national leaders in 1996.
The site's importance in the development of Taiwan's
democracy
Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...
led to the plaza's rededication as
Liberty Square by President
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian (; born 12 October 1950) is a retired Taiwanese politician and lawyer who served as the president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2000 to 2008. Chen was the first president from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) whic ...
in 2007. Memorial Hall was also renamed in a dedication to democracy. The
announcement of the new names were greeted with hostility by Kuomintang officials. The original dedication to Chiang was subsequently restored to the hall by President
Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou ( zh, 馬英九, born 13 July 1950) is a Hong Kong-born Taiwanese politician who served as president of the Republic of China from 2008 to 2016. Previously, he served as justice minister from 1993 to 1996 and mayor of Taipei fro ...
, while the name Liberty Square was eventually affirmed by officials across party lines.
In 2017, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the
February 28 Incident and the 30th anniversary of the lifting of
martial law
Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory.
Use
Marti ...
, Taiwan's Ministry of Culture announced plans to transform the hall into a national center for “facing history, recognizing agony, and respecting human rights.” Scholars and experts were invited to form an advisory group to help plan the hall's transformation.
Public discussion of the transformation began the following year in forums held throughout Taiwan.
The Chinese inscription now over the main gate declares the plaza ''
Liberty Square''. The calligraphic style recalls that of
Wang Xizhi
Wang Xizhi (; ; 303 AD361 AD) was a Chinese calligrapher, politician, general and writer during the Jin dynasty. He was best known for his mastery of Chinese calligraphy. Wang is sometimes regarded as the greatest Chinese calligrapher in Chines ...
in the
East Jin Dynasty
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...
(see
Chinese calligraphy
Chinese calligraphy is the writing of Chinese characters as an art form, combining purely visual art and interpretation of the literary meaning. This type of expression has been widely practiced in China and has been generally held in high este ...
). The style is noted for its sense of vitality, movement and freedom. The
characters
Character or Characters may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk
* ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...
in the inscription are placed in left-to-right sequence to follow modern practice in Taiwan. (The right-to-left order of ancient Chinese tradition had been observed at the site up until then.) See:
In 2018,
pro-independence student activists stormed the hall and threw paint on the statue of Chiang Kai-Shek, two were arrested and penalized for NT$2000.
In 2019 the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall hosted an exhibition by the Chinese artist Ling Feng (靈峰). The 88 works exhibited were sharply critical of the
Chinese Communist Party
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...
and authoritarianism in general.
Gallery
See also
*
Chiang Kai-shek
*
Cihu Presidential Burial Place
Cihu Mausoleum (), officially known as the Mausoleum of Late President Chiang () or President Chiang Kai-shek Mausoleum, is the final resting place of President Chiang Kai-shek. It is located in Daxi District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan. When Chiang Ka ...
*
National Theater and Concert Hall
The National Theater () and National Concert Hall () are twin performing arts venues at Liberty Square in Zhongzheng District, Taipei, Taiwan. Completed in 1987, the landmarks stand on the south and north sides of the square with Chiang Kai-s ...
*
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
*
Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum
Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum () is situated at the foot of the second peak of Purple Mountain (Nanjing), Purple Mountain in Nanjing, China. Construction of the tomb started in January 1926, and was finished in spring of 1929. The architect was L ...
*
Liberty Square (Taipei)
Liberty Square (also Freedom Square) is a public plaza covering over 240,000 square meters in the Zhongzheng District of Taipei, Taiwan. It has served as the city's public gathering place of choice since its completion in the late 1970s. T ...
*
Presidential Office Building
*
Ching-kuo Memorial Hall in
Matsu National Scenic Area
* (辭修公園; Former Tomb and Memorial Museum of
Chen Cheng
Chen Cheng (; ; January 4, 1898 – March 5, 1965) was a Chinese political and military leader, and one of the main commanders of the National Revolutionary Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War.
After moving ...
, demolished in 1995)
*
Wild Lily student movement
Taiwan's Wild Lily student movement () or March student movement was a six-day student demonstration in 1990 for democracy. The sit-in at Memorial Square in Taipei (since rededicated as Liberty Square in commemoration of the movement) was init ...
*
List of museums in Taiwan
This is a list of museums in Taiwan, including cultural centers and arts centres.
Kaohsiung City
* Chung Li-he Museum
* Cijin Shell Museum
* Fongshan Community Culture Museum
* Former British Consulate at Takao
* Hamasen Museum of Taiwan Rai ...
References
External links
National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall official websiteNational Theater and Concert Hall official websiteTaiwan Ministry of Culture official website{{Authority control
1980 establishments in Taiwan
Buildings and structures completed in 1980
Buildings and structures in Taipei
Chiang Kai-shek
Monuments and memorials in Taiwan
Tourist attractions in Taipei
National monuments of Taiwan