Taipei Travel

The last time I visited this square, the entire memorial hall was closed off for renovations, which was disappointing. This time I finally got to climb the 89 steps representing the age of the former president of Taiwan. There is a giant sculpture of him sitting in the memorial hall. At the top the view was impressive of the entire square and the gardens designs became apparent from up there. I arrived just in time to watch a performance by the honor guards. Reminded me of the changing of the guards. The other two buildings are the National Theatre and National Concert Hall, both in classic Chinese architectural design. They offer both local and international performances here. The Gate of Great Centrality and Perfect Uprightness is the entrance gate at the west end and faces the Chiang Kai-Shek Hall, far at the other end. It is a white gate, very beautiful and massive. When people stand next to it, they look very small.

Never skip this place. It can be readily accessed by train, the entire complex is huge, there is enough space for everyone, and the architecture is stunning.

Symbols give identity to people. They are incredible important in a country construction. IT should be the first stop if you want to understand Taiwan.

If your time is short in Taipei, like it was for my wife and I on our 6 day Wendy Wu private tour of Taiwan in January 2020, you must make sure that if you visit nothing else in Taipei, you visit the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Park. We were so grateful that our private guide included a visit here as an added extra before we left Taipei for our travel to Taroko Gorge. The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is located in the Zhongzheng District of Taipei. It is an imposing memorial erected as a pyramid as a lasting tribute to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, the Chinese nationalist politician, revolutionary and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China between 1928 and 1975, first in mainland China until 1949 and then in Taiwan until his death. The memorial stands in the centre of a 25 hectare park housing three large buildings: the Memorial Hall, the National Theatre and the National Concert Hall and it also incorporates Liberty Square, a popular place not only for mass gatherings and protests but also for outdoor concerts, festivals and public exhibitions. Entry into the park is through an ornate archway gate. The gardens are beautifully landscaped and well kept. The four sided, white, 76 metre high Memorial hall was opened in 1980 and constructed using Taiwanese marble. The roof is blue and is in the shape of an octagon. There are two sets of stairs leading to the Memorial Hall each with 89 steps representing each year of Chiang Kai-Shek’s life. Once we walked up the stairs to the main entrance of the hall we stood in front of an impressive doorway which when opened, brought us into the large shrine room where a large bronze statue of Chiang Kai-shek stood before us. It was in this hall where we witnessed the solemn daily changing of the guard ceremony which occurs on the hour 9 times in the day from 9 am to 5 pm. This was a ceremonial exercise of great military precision. Visitors are asked to remain silent throughout this ritual and I am pleased to advise that everyone present when we were there appeared to observe this practice, which was very pleasing. It was good that our guide organised our visit here early in the morning because later in the day it often gets crowded when many locals visit the place. After the solemn changing of the guard ceremony we were taken to the impressive Exhibition Hall to view important aspects of Chiang Kai-shek’s life and his achievements in Taiwan. We were able to view with great interest many artifacts and memorabilia left by the great man’s Estate. These included, among other things, his uniforms, medals and even his Cadillac State cars. There were also many historic photos to view showing his influence on other world leaders of his time and of his family life. In a section of the hall there was even a replica of his office where he made his important decisions. The various exhibits on display were very well presented and well spaced out and had good easy to read descriptions and captions. The exhibition is a credit to the staff members who maintain the collections. At the end of our visit we felt we had learnt more about the life and times of Chiang Kai-shek and the influence he had on Taiwan and the world during his time as President than we knew before we arrived. This knowledge was invaluable as we continued our travels through Taiwan over the next 5 days given the important role this man played in Taiwan’s modern history. This is an attraction in Taipei to educate and inspire and one which should not be missed.

I am in awe when I saw this vast complex. I am not expecting this especially just around the main city and it's free entrance! The main hall is an interesting architectural piece. Inside and out, from top to bottom - it's really amazing. It housed the big statue of Chiang Kai Shek and there's an hourly ceremony for the changing of guards. You can go there to get a good spot to view the ceremony because it can be too crowded sometimes.