Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Audio Guide

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

   Welcome to one of the great landmarks of Taipei. You are standing at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, known locally as 中正紀念堂, in Zhongzheng District. The grounds sit just east of Zhongshan South Road, and the main address is number 21 on that road. The whole complex covers about 25 hectares, roughly 250,000 square meters, so it is less a single building than a small district of lawns, ponds, gates and halls. The centerpiece is a white-walled hall under a blue octagonal roof, rising to about 70 meters. It was built in memory of Chiang Kai-shek, the former President of the Republic of China, and it is the largest of the many memorials made in his honor. Today it is run by the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Management Office under the Ministry of Culture. Over the next few stops, I will take you through the ground beneath your feet, which was a military site long before it was a park. We will look at the architecture and its symbolism, and then at the plaza, which became one of Taiwan's most important places for public debate. Take a moment now to look up at that blue roof against the sky. It is a good place to begin.

2. 02

   From Barracks to Memorial: The Story of the Ground

   Before there was any memorial, this land belonged to soldiers. In the Qing period, a battalion stationed outside the east gate of Taipei's walled city camped around what is now the park. In the Japanese colonial era the area was called Asahi-cho. A mountain artillery base opened here in 1905, and in November 1944 an infantry regiment base followed. After 1945 those were abolished, and when the Republic of China government relocated to Taiwan in 1950, the buildings were taken down. The site then housed the army headquarters, the Combined Service Forces headquarters and the military police headquarters. At that time it was the largest military zone inside Taipei. Then came April 5, 1975, when Chiang Kai-shek died of a heart attack. The government set up a funeral committee, and on June 26 it approved a preparatory group to plan a memorial, with 16 members drawn from government and business. On July 2 the site was chosen, bounded by Hangzhou South Road, Zhongshan South Road, Aiguo East Road and Xinyi Road. Linsen South Road used to run straight through here, and it was rerouted into an underground passage to make room. The design was chosen by competition, and the winner was Yang Cho-cheng, the architect behind the Grand Hotel in Taipei. The completion ceremony took place on April 4, 1980, with more than 4,000 people attending and about 400 foreign guests. The hall opened to the public the next day, on the fifth anniversary of Chiang's death.

3. 03

   Blue Roof, White Marble: Reading the Architecture

   Every shape here was chosen to mean something. Yang Cho-cheng drew on traditional Chinese architecture, and the design echoes the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing. The colors are blue and white, the main colors of the national flag. The roof tiles are a blue that leans toward purple, and they catch the sunlight beautifully. Look at the very top, where the finial is gold. The hall stands on a broad three-tiered base with a square plan, a shape said to evoke the meaning of the name Zhongzheng. Above it, the roof is octagonal. Eight is a number traditionally linked with abundance and good fortune, and the roof's sloping lines are described as gathering toward the peak in the idea of heaven and humanity uniting. It is often said to borrow from the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Inside, the ceiling is decorated with the white sun emblem of the national flag, with its 12 rays. Now count the steps if you climb. There are two white staircases, each with 89 steps, said to stand for Chiang's age when he died. The walls are cream marble, the ceiling timber is cypress, and the floor is pale red granite, all left in their natural colors. Beneath the hall are exhibits, and souvenirs are sold there too. Out in front stands the great gate. It is 30 meters high and 80 meters wide, built in the form called five bays, six columns, 11 roofs. Its inscription once read Da Zhong Zhi Zheng, and since 2007 it has read Liberty Square.

4. 04

   A Plaza for Debate, Music and Memory

   Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall: The park holds ornamental ponds, a path lined with Norfolk Island pines, a cherry blossom grove and a plum grove, so the scene changes with the season.

   Something remarkable happened to this place. A monument built during the martial law period gradually became one of the island's most important public stages. The plaza in front of the hall has hosted the Wild Lily student movement, rallies in support of the Tiananmen Square protesters, the indigenous Return Our Land movement, the Snail Without a Shell housing protests, a mass wedding in tents, the Taiwan LGBT Pride parade and the Wild Strawberry student movement. It has also been the setting for a civic protest against a memorial to a dictator. Visiting heads of state from countries with diplomatic ties have been welcomed here as well. The same open space has hosted the Taiwan Lantern Festival, outdoor performances by Cloud Gate Dance Theatre and international orchestras broadcast live, among other cultural events. On either side of the plaza stand the National Theater and the National Concert Hall. Together they form the National Theater and Concert Hall pair, and each hosts performances all year. The hall's own name has been contested. In March 2007 the Ministry of Education renamed the management office the National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall, removed the hall's plaque and took down the gate's inscription, which caused a political dispute. The renaming stayed in force from May 2007 until August 2008, after which the original name returned. In 2007 the grounds were designated a national monument under the name Taiwan Democracy Memorial Park, and in 2008 Taipei City registered them as a cultural landscape. In 2017 the Ministry of Culture announced plans to turn the hall toward facing history, recognizing agony and respecting human rights. Since then the hall has closed each year on February 28.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   Before you wander on, remember that the grounds are more than the hall. The park holds ornamental ponds, a path lined with Norfolk Island pines, a cherry blossom grove and a plum grove, so the scene changes with the season. Walk the long approach between the two performance halls and watch how the gate, the white stairs and the blue roof line up as you get closer. If you are arriving or leaving by rail, the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall metro station is only about 213 meters away in a straight line, so the grounds are very easy to reach. As you stroll, let a few questions follow you. How does a place built to honor one man now hold so many different stories? Which of those stories do you see in the gate, the plaza and the hall itself? There is plenty here still waiting to be noticed, so take your time and enjoy discovering it.