Transplanted statues of former dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) have been neatly spread along a verdant hillside in northern Taiwan, some showing him on horseback with his mustachioed face held high, others with him clutching a ceremonial sword or reading a classical text.
Chiang's 25 years of dictatorial rule is regarded by many as justification for the relocation of his once ubiquitous bronze images to an isolated site in Tashi (大溪), an hour's drive from Taipei.
But in an ironic twist, they have now become a pilgrimage target for tourists from China -- from where Chiang fled in shame in 1949 after his Nationalist forces were defeated by Mao Zedong's (
PHOTO: WALLY SANTANA, AP
Chiang is a contentious figure on both sides of the Taiwan Strait -- though for very different reasons.
Here, he is reviled by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Many of the DPP founders suffered imprisonment and worse under 39 years of martial law imposed by Chiang in 1948.
And many of the younger members of Chiang's Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), eager advocates of the democratic system that Taiwan now embraces, freely acknowledge the excesses of his regime.
But in China he is seen as an avatar of the unification that has long stood at the forefront of Beijing's Taiwan policy -- so much so that his ruthless pursuit of the communist enemy during 23 years of on-again-off-again civil war has been conveniently shunted aside.
Here in this quiet hillside park, some 120 Chiang statues dumped by schools, public parks and once reverential communities attract a constant stream of tourists from China, now permitted to visit Taiwan despite lingering hostilities between the sides.
The park abuts a somber Chiang mausoleum, and a local official said the two sites appear to appeal to Chinese visitors far more than Taiwan's loudly trumpeted scenic lakes and mountains.
"Whether they respect or dislike Chiang, they see the man as a symbol of Taiwan's ties to the mainland," said Chang Ching-wan, of the Tashi Township. "We were surprised to see some of the mainlanders bowing before Chiang's coffin."
A shop next to the park sells mugs and plates imprinted with Chiang's tall figure and a picture of his 1927 wedding to second wife Soong Mei-ling (
Last year, nearly 40,000 Chinese visited Taiwan, and local authorities are hoping for a tenfold increase in the number of tourists from China after a deal is struck with Beijing on travel arrangements -- a development that could easily turn the trickle of Chinese visitors to Tashi into a flood.
On a recent weekday morning, a group of tourists from northeastern China's Liaoning Province carefully inspected an oversized bronze statue showing a smiling Chiang in a traditional Chinese gown seated comfortably on a large chair.
The tourists -- men in dark business suits and women with permed hair and bright jackets -- appeared subdued as they posed quietly for photos with their digital cameras.
"We came here to get a touch of history," said a Chinese tourist who identified himself only by his surname, Zheng. "Chiang was a man of a bygone age and my impression of him is neither good nor bad."
Those sentiments are a far cry from the widespread Communist condemnations in the days following Chiang's ignominious retreat to Taiwan in 1949.
Contemporary writings depicted him as a "bandit," and accompanying Nationalist troops as looters and thieves.
Recent DPP moves include removing hundreds of Chiang statues from military bases and erasing Chiang's name from the nation's main international airport.
Those initiatives provoked only faint outcries from Chiang's KMT successors, who are keenly focused on regaining power in next year's presidential election.
But here in Tashi, at least one elderly Taiwanese openly resents the changes.
Standing amid a group of Chinese visitors, retiree Ting Lai-pin fondly recalled how people rushed to set up Chiang statues in past decades to honor him for strengthening Taiwan's economy and building up its armed forces to confront a possible Communist attack.
But that is all in the past, Ting lamented.
"All the efforts to belittle Chiang are but a struggle against the Nationalists to bar them from returning to power," he said. "How can we attract the mainland tourists if we annihilate all traces of history?"
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their