Come to the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall,
linger in this place of art and culture,
wander at leisure through the wide elegant spaces,
appreciate the beauty of the architecture and gardens, and
experience the joy of growing and learning.
History
This memorial hall was originally established to commemorate Chiang Kai-Shek and drive culture promotion activities.
After he passed away in 1975, people in Taiwan and certain of the overseas Chinese proposed to establish a memorial hall to express their respect for the leader.
The site of the Memorial Hall was originally a military base and was later decided to be used as the location used for the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall.
The main hall was opened to the public on April 5,1980. The History Center displays files, relics and photos from the very beginning until the final stage of the construction of the memorial hall.
A Green City Garden
Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Park covers an area of 25 hectares. It is surrounded by white walls, blue tile roofed corridors and pavilions, decorated with Chinese-style latticed windows featuring 26 different motifs, creating a sense of space and adding to the feeling of rich cultural charm. The corridors, which provide shade from the sun and shelter from the rain, along with the exercise areas and keep-fit paths, are popular places for people to sing and dance, play chess and exercise.
The Chinese gardens are enchanting. On both sides near the front of the hall are the Yunhan and Guanghua ponds, where fishes swim. The ponds have artificial mountains and bridges and are ringed by quiet pathways. Walking on the paths, the scenery changes with each step and there is beautiful scenery at every turn.
The gardens are planted with many kinds of plants. Plum blossoms, cherry blossoms and osmanthus bloom by turns at different seasons of the year. If you stop for a while, you may see butterflies flitting from flower to flower, a Black-crowned Night Heron waiting silently for its dinner at the water’s edge, a Malayan Night Heron feeding her young, and other scenes full of burgeoning life and joy.
Historic Site Splendor
The Archway inscribed with the characters “Liberty Square” is the most majestic ceremonial arch in Taiwan. The pseudo-classical Chinese style arch has sapphire-blue glazed tiles resting atop white pillars. The 30-meter arch span, like the open wings of a giant bird, complements the Hall perfectly.
Walking forward through Democracy Square and along Democracy Boulevard, the 70-meter high hall stands before you. The sapphire-blue glazed tile roof has the shape of the Chinese character “人” (meaning—“people”) reaching up into the sky and expressing the meaning “the joining of heaven and people.”
Upon climbing the 89 white granite steps, you will see a large bronze statue of late President Chiang Kai-Shek. This Bronze statue Hall is the main attraction for tourists. On the wall are characters written by President Chiang: Ethics, Democracy, Science. These are the essence of Sun Yat-sen’s “Three Principles of the People” and also President Chiang’s political beliefs and ideals that motivated him throughout his whole life.
Exhibition Halls
On the first floor of the Memorial Hall is the Exhibition Hall of Historical Relics of Chiang Kai-Shek, which contains a permanent exhibit of items related to President Chiang. They include the following: 1) Family Life, 2) Ascending to Power, 3) Wartime Leader of China, 4) From Mainland to Taiwan, 5) Presidency in Taiwan, 6) The gallery of President Chiang Kai-Shek’s office.
The various exhibits include the late president’s official cars and his clothes, medals, calligraphy and photographs. This exhibition gives visitors an understanding of Chiang’s thoughts and beliefs in his family life, when he was being educated, as a revolutionary, during the War Against Japan, and at the time of the establishment of the ROC in Taiwan, as well as providing a view of the history of the ROC.
In order to recreate its original atmosphere, the previous exhibition of late President Chiang Kai-Shek’s office was renovated in 2014. The current gallery of his office is an exact duplicate in terms of size as the office he had before with its original surrounding hallway and the reception room.
The exhibition was reopened on January 20, 2015.Using a multimedia introduction, films shown on the lattice window illustrate the daily life of President Chiang, his management of internal and foreign affairs, his appearances in national commemorations, as well as views of the late President office from the window.
Life Aesthetics
To encourage aesthetic literacy among the public, Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall has long held diverse courses designed to strengthen artistic and cultural literacy and provide a solid foundation for enhancing cultural diversity. The gardens with their rich ecological and historical resources, are also used to hold the “Art Creativity Academy” series of after-school courses, winter and summer camps, field trips, and other activites for children. The goal is to instill aesthetic appreciation and environmental awareness at an early age.
Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall also organize various cultural activities, such as lectures, concerts, movies, DIY art classes, etc., to provide a platform for creative and sophisticated art and cultural activities.
