The proposal to change the name of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and the demolition of its outer walls have caused much controversy. The Taipei City Government has attempted to list the memorial hall, which was completed in 1980, as an official historical site. But it has forgotten to preserve the city's historic railways, which were completed more than a century ago in 1893.
As children, we learned from our textbooks such things as the shape of the Republic of China (ROC) is somewhat similar to that of a begonia leaf. Meanwhile, we ignored things that were not covered in the textbooks, such as the 228 Incident. Nor were we taught about the railway construction launched by Taiwan's first governor, Liu Ming-Chuan (劉銘傳), between Keelung and Hsinchu, which came into operation later in 1893. In the book, The 100th Anniversary of Taiwan Railway, there is even a photo of the Keelung Station built by Liu.
But growing up, we realize that the shape of the ROC was more like an old hen, and we began to learn about the massacre that began on Feb. 28, 1947. Moreover, those who study railway history learn that due to the poor quality of Liu's railways, the whole system was abandoned long ago, with only a few historical relics remaining.
In late 2004, during a historical site review, it was determined that the roof of the Taiwan Railway Administration's (TRA) old auditorium might possibly be the frame of the Taipei Station built by Liu. Since relics of the old line are extremely rare, the finding was surely precious. However, faced with pressure to build a new MRT station at the site, it was decided that the auditorium had to be removed during construction of the underground station, then returned to its original location later.
The location of a historical site is of great significance, and they should not be moved arbitrarily. The auditorium built during the Qing dynasty, had withstood Japanese colonization and the post World War II era, as it morphed from a station into a railway workshop and finally an auditorium. It witnessed the rise and fall of the three regimes, and symbolizes the beginnings of Taiwan's industrialization. However, due to the perfunctory decision made by Taipei's Department of Cultural Affairs, it was moved.
Soon after the relocation work started, workers discovered a railway base of the original line about 60cm below the floor. The reappearance of the base was as stunning as that of the "terracotta army" excavated in China, and the scene was magnificent. The problem was, it would be even more difficult to relocate the base. Finally, the department fell in line with the government's call for "desinicization" by removing the Chinese site and demolishing the entire base.
Ever since the historical site was revealed, the department has taken a passive attitude toward it. Despite the cultural value of the site, which contains important historical remains from the Qing dynasty, it has received little attention.
In comparison to the outer walls of the memorial hall, such cherry picking of historical sites is reason for disappointment and resentment.
Ku Ting-wei is a student in the Graduate Institute of Microbiology and Biochemistry at National Taiwan University.
Translated by Eddy Chang
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of
RSS