Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall

Ni Hao! This is the National Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall at Zongshan South Road, the heart of Taipei. It was built in memory of the first President of Taiwan. And, entrance is FREE!

It was a rainy day when we visited but it did not dampen our spirits. We wanted to see the treasures and the man himself (the statue)!

 Inside the museum

 Sedan chairs used to carry President Chiang

President Chiang and his famous "dragon lady' wife named Soong Mei Ling. In 1943, Madame Soong was the first Chinese and only the 2nd woman to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress; she asked for increased U.S. aid for China in the war.

 President Chiang's study

 Old documents

 1955 GM Cadillac, one of President Chiang's official state cars

Yes, the guard is real! The changing of guards is on an hourly basis, starting from 9AM to 5PM daily.

 The characters behind the statue read "Ethics", "Democracy", and "Science"

After the civil war broke out in 1946 ending in the victory of the creation of the Peoples' Republic of China, Chiang led the Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party) in exile in Taiwan. Back by American aid, Chiang launched Taiwan on the path of economic modernization.

This was a "WOW" moment. The gardens were magnificent. The 2 buildings behind the gardens are the National Theater and National Concert Hall.

 The museum shop

We enjoyed seeing a bronze President Chiang at 33 feet and reading about his life in the museum. The statue was located on the 4th floor of the hall and when I saw it, I actually said "Wow, at least it is not another Mona Lisa!" (I remembered looking forward to seeing the Mona Lisa and it turned out so disappointingly tiny). This statue of Chiang was very Lincoln-like. Impressive.