National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
| 中正紀念堂 | |
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| Coordinates | Coordinates: 25°2′4″N 121°31′18″E / 25.03444°N 121.52167°E |
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| Location | Zhongzheng, Taipei, Taiwan |
| Designer | Yang Cho-cheng |
| Type | Memorial |
| Material | Concrete and marble |
| Height | 76 m (249 ft) |
| Beginning date | October 31, 1976 |
| Completion date | April 5, 1980 |
| Opening date | |
| Restored date | |
| Dedicated to | Chiang Kai-shek |
| Wei-fan Kuo, Chairman of the National Chiang Kai-shek Cultural Center | |
| National Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall | |||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 中正紀念堂 | ||||||||||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 中正纪念堂 | ||||||||||||||
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| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Guólì Zhōngzhèng Jìniàntáng |
| Wade–Giles | Kuoli Chungcheng Chinient'ang |
| IPA | [ku̯ǒlî ʈʂʊ́ŋʈʂə̂ŋ tɕîni̯ɛ̂ntʰǎŋ] |
| Southern Min | |
| Hokkien POJ | Kok-li̍p Tiong-chèng-kí-liām-tn̂g |
The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (Chinese: 中正紀念堂) is a national monument, landmark and tourist attraction erected in memory of Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. It is located in Zhongzheng District, Taipei, Taiwan.
The monument, surrounded by a park, stands at the east end of Liberty Square. The structure is framed on the north and south by the National Theater and National Concert Hall.
The Memorial Hall is white with four sides. The roof is blue and octagonal, a shape that picks up the symbolism of the number eight, a number traditionally associated in Asia with abundance and good fortune. Two sets of white stairs, each with 89 steps to represent Chiang's age at the time of his death, lead to the main entrance. The ground level of the memorial houses a library and museum documenting Chiang Kai-shek's life and career and exhibits related to Republic of China-era Chinese history, and Taiwan's history and development. The upper level contains the main hall, in which a large statue of Chiang Kai-shek is located, and where a guard mounting ceremony takes place in regular intervals.
After President Chiang Kai-shek died on 5 April 1975, the Executive branch of the government established a Funeral Committee to build a memorial. The design, by architect Yang Cho-cheng, was chosen in a competition. Yang's design incorporated many elements of traditional Chinese architecture recalling the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing, China. (The Kuomintang (KMT) revered Dr. Sun as founder of the party and government Chiang had led.) Groundbreaking for the memorial took place on 31 October 1976, the 90th anniversary of Chiang's birth. The hall officially opened on 5 April 1980, the fifth anniversary of the leader's death.
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