"National monument" () is the highest designation possible given to

historic site A historic site or heritage site is an official location where pieces of political, military, cultural, or social history have been preserved due to their cultural heritage value. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have been rec ...

s in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, followed by municipal and county (city) monuments. The designations are outlined in the , and monuments are preserved by the

Bureau of Cultural Heritage The Bureau of Cultural Heritage (BOCH; ) is the bureau of the Ministry of Culture of the Taiwan (ROC) responsible for preserving and restoring historic buildings, sites, communities, relics and cultural landscapes, as well as conserving traditio ...

, a subdivision of the

Executive Yuan The Executive Yuan () is the executive branch of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Its leader is the Premier, who is appointed by the President of the Republic of China, and requires confirmation by the Legislative Yuan. ...

. According to the ''Cultural Heritage Preservation Act'', Chapter 1, Section 3, historic sites are defined as "architectural works and its ancillary facilities built for the needs of human life, which are of outstanding universal value from the point of view of history, art or science." The first iteration of the Act in 1982 divided these monuments into levels 1, 2, and 3, with 1 being the highest. Subsequent revisions to the act redefined the levels into the designations used today. According to the December 2001 revision, the following sites are known as national monuments: * Level 1 monuments as of June 30, 1997 * Level 2 monuments in non- special municipalities (everywhere except

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 n ...

and

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...

) as of June 30, 1997 * National monuments designated after June 30, 1997 Meanwhile, all other monuments in special municipalities are designated as municipal monuments, while all other monuments in counties and cities are designated as county (city) monuments. Though the numerical designation is not in official use anymore, they still see use in colloquial usage.

Overview

As of March 16, 2020, there are 967 historic sites protected under the ''Cultural Heritage Preservation Act'', with 107 designated as national monuments.

Tainan City Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" for its over 200 years of hist ...

has the most national monuments at 22, followed by

Taipei City Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the Capital city, capital and a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Regions of Taiwan, Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of t ...

at 19. Notably, there are no national monuments in

eastern Taiwan The regions of Taiwan are based on the historical administrative divisions. However, most of the definitions are not precise. Division into two regions * Eastern and Western Taiwan: the Central Mountain Range separates Taiwan into east and west. :* ...

, though

Batongguan Trail Batongguan Historic Trail ( zh, t=八通關古道, p=Bātōngguān Gǔdào; romaji: ''Pattonkan Kodō'') is the name of two trails crossing the Central Mountain Range from Zhushan, Nantou to Yuli, Hualien in Taiwan. The first iteration of the tra ...

does cross into

Hualien County Hualien County (Mandarin Wade–Giles: Hua¹-lien² Hsien⁴; Pīnyīn: ''Huālián Xiàn''; Hokkien POJ: ''Hoa-lian-koān'' or ''Hoa-liân-koān''; Hakka PFS: ''Fâ-lièn-yen''; Amis: ''Kalingko'') is a county on the east coast of Taiwan. It ...

. The Bureau of Cultural Heritage also categorizes the monuments into types, as follows:

Overview

List

External links

References