Cihu Memorial Sculpture Park

Northern Taiwan


Home to 152 unwanted Chiang Kai-shek statues, this open-air sculpture park is a hoot (surely unintentionally), with promenades of Chiang busts and clumps of Chiangs standing facing each other as if in conversation. There are story-time Chiangs reading books to shorter Chiangs, salesmen Chiangs bowed at the waist with hat removed, avuncular Chiangs always smiling, and martial Chiangs, sword in hand, ready to defend the nation.

On a more serious note, the park also gives insight into the cult of personality that was developed (and still exists for hardcore KMT supporters) around Chiang. You'll learn, for example, how his statues were placed at the front of every school, and often in pre-existing popular shrines so worshippers would be forced to pay homage whether they wanted to or not.

The rules on sculpting the Generalissimo were stringent: standing statues couldn't be shorter than 170cm (his height), while busts had to reveal at least the third button on his uniform.


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