We all got to sleep in this morning, heading out at 9am towards Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, a monument in memory of the first President of the Republic of China.
In the subway stop outside the Memorial hung some amazing artwork done by Taiwanese middle schoolers!
As we stepped outside, the first building we saw was the enormous National Theater building.
And the very similar looking National Concert Hall building. Both sit opposite the Memorial in a large square.
Then we headed towards the memorial and up a long flight of stairs to the top. The memorial building has to be the biggest building I’ve ever seen. The photos make it hard to understand the sheer scale of everything.
A statue of Chiang Kai-shek sits inside the hall, reminiscent of the Lincoln Memorial in D.C.
Recently, feelings about Chiang Kai-shek and authoritarianism that he represents, have been shifting in Taiwan. The military honor guard that was present last year has now been removed. The square has been renamed Liberty Hall, as they work to rebrand the area in honor of democracy. I know the government has said they will be removing his statues across the island. It might be gone by next spring.
The weather can switch so suddenly here. One moment it’s warm and dry, next moment it’s torrential downpour.
In between breaks in the rain we jumped back into the subway, to visit nearby Daan Park.
Eli and Hadley headed off to visit National Taiwan University a short walk away. They’re both considering doing a study abroad at NTU so it was a great chance to see the campus.
At the park some kids walked through the flowers and across a pond where they spotted some turtles.
While others found a playground to spin and climb. Even convincing Mallette to get up there 🙂
We’ve got a few hours now to rest back at the hotel before we go to Ximending Night Market this evening. I’m looking forward to a fancy buffet we’re going to for a farewell party tomorrow 🙂