Renaming of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
Encyclopedia
The renaming of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
in Taipei
, Taiwan
to National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall was announced by President Chen Shui-bian
on May 15, 2007. The surrounding plaza was rededicated to democracy
as Liberty Square
. This move was condemned by the pan-blue media as a political move by the Democratic Progressive Party
to denounce the historical heritage of the Republic of China. The site has now been restored back to the original title of the "Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
" as of July 20, 2009 with the Nationalists back in power.
Chen was then a member of the Republic of China
(ROC) Democratic Progressive Party
, or DPP. In 2007 his party and its allies controlled the executive branch of the ROC government. The opposition, the Kuomintang
, or KMT, and its allies held a one-vote majority in the legislature. With a national election looming in 2008, support and opposition divided along partisan lines. Legal wrangling ensued, with the debate centering on the prerogatives and powers of each branch of the ROC government. Legally, the executive branch held the authority to rename the monument and square without ratification by the legislature. The legislature, however, could deny some funding if it declined to recognize the new names in appropriate documents. The Taipei city government, then under KMT control, also weighed in, arguing historical status for the relatively new site and invoking city ordinances forbidding the alteration of such sites. For the remainder of Chen's term both old and new names remained in use, with preferences lining up largely on partisan lines.
On May 20, 2008, Ma Ying-jeou
arose as the victor in 2008 Presidential Elections which also saw his Kuomintang
party increase its majority in the legislature as the public became disillusioned with the misrule and money-laundering of the Democratic Progressive Party
led by former President Chen Shui-Bian
. During the campaign Ma had promised to restore the original names and inscriptions at the site. After his election Ma promised to undertake wide consultation before making a final decision about names. In August 2008 Ministry of Education officials announced that the administration recognized the original name of the memorial as the official one but that no final decision would be made on the matter until the public was consulted. In January 2009 the Ministry of Education announced that no public forums would take place, that the original plaque designating the hall as Chiang Kai-shek Memorial would be restored by the end of the summer, and that Liberty Square
would be allowed to stand as the name of the plaza.
in 1975. In the next two decades Chiang Ching-kuo
(蔣經國) and Lee Teng-hui
(李登輝) presided over a peaceful transition from single-party rule enforcing martial law
to pluralistic democracy
with protected human rights
. The nature and meaning of Chiang Kai-shek's rule could be openly debated and, as details of the 228 Incident
and White Terror
publicly emerged, they were.
In 2000 Chen Shui-bian
(陳水扁) of the Democratic Progressive Party
, or DPP, was elected president. The executive
branch of the Republic of China
government fell out of KMT
control for the first time. Executive power had been handed to the DPP and its affiliated parties, known as the Pan-Green Coalition
; the KMT and its affiliated parties, known as the Pan-Blue Coalition
, maintained control of the legislature
. Elections in 2004 preserved the situation, awarding a second term to Chen and a majority in the legislature to the opposition.
The proposal attracted support from other Pan-Green
officials. Pan-Green leaders saw the idea as another step in the direction of rectifying names and symbols associated with the authoritarian past of the ROC government to make them more inclusive and characteristic of local Taiwanese culture. Pan-Blue
officials resisted the measure. Few expressed open support of Chiang Kai-shek or one-party rule, arguing instead that the move represented unnecessary expense and election-year theater and that the localization of Taiwan's place names and symbols represented a treacherous effort to desinicize
the culture of the lands controlled by the Republic of China.
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In 2007 the Ministry of Education of the Executive Yuan (part of the executive branch of government led by the DPP) decided to rename the hall. Support and resistance to the measure, mainly along party lines, materialized immediately.
The Memorial had been listed as a "third tier" landmark on the government's list of protected heritage sites. The Executive Yuan subsequently demoted the Memorial Hall to a "fourth tier" landmark, in order to make changes to the hall without Legislative approval. The Executive Yuan said the name change complied with laws stating that fourth-tier landmarks may be modified by the Executive Yuan directly via Organic Regulations, rather than via Organic Acts that require legislative approval. KMT-led Taipei City government responded by designating the 27-year-old hall and its surrounding walls a "temporary historical site" to make alterations to the structure unlawful according to city ordinances.
The official ceremony marking the renaming of the hall took place on 19 May 2007 when President Chen Shui-bian
unveiled a plaque in front of the memorial bearing the name National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall (Traditional Chinese: 國立台灣民主紀念館). Chen announced that the name change reflected the desire of citizens "to bid goodbye to the old age and to show that we Taiwanese are all standing firmly behind the universal values of freedom, democracy and human rights." He noted that the date, May 19, marked the fifty-eighth anniversary of the imposition of martial law
on Taiwan; the event began rule by the military on the island for thirty-eight years. Minor scuffles broke out among gathered spectators before the ceremony.
Large banners covering the north and south faces of the hall displayed the new name along with images of Formosan lilies. Their design recalled the pro-democracy Wild Lily student movement
of 1990. New signs, displaying the new name and graphics, appeared in the garden park areas of the north and south gates. A drape covered the original name plaque over the entrance and the doors remained closed. No physical changes to the structure of the hall, though, were apparent and the statue of Chiang Kai-shek remained intact inside.
On May 22, Taipei City authorities moved in and dismantled the scaffolding obscuring the "Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall" tablet, and also removed the gigantic signs bearing the text "Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall" which had been hung over the memorial hall, on the basis that this covered the cultural site, which violates the Cultural Protection Law of the ROC and also that it was unauthorised advertising which violated Taipei City law. The City Government also issued a fine to the Ministry of Education for the second time over its redesignation moves, for blocking the view of and access to a heritage building. The Ministry of Education had earlier shut the gates to the Memorial for what it claimed was "repair work". The City Government has stated that, since no workmen could be observed conducting any repair work, it will take steps to re-open the gates.
On May 24, the new name plate unveiled by Chen Shui-bian was taken down by the Ministry of Education. The Ministry of Education cited the costly efforts to have a constant police guard at the name plate as the primary reason for its removal. A veteran was seen spitting on the new name plate that prompted the 24-hour police presence.
On June 7, a joint meeting of committees in the Legislative Yuan repealed the Ministry of Education's Organic Regulations of the National Taiwan Democracy Hall that established the name change. The move effectively voided the legal basis for the change, though pan-Blue legislators refrained from declaring the new name dead or the old one preserved. One legislator involved in the repeal was quoted as saying the final designation for the hall remained a political issue to be resolved through political means. Wang Shu-hui, DPP deputy caucus whip, argued that the legislature had "infringed upon the power of the central government by abolishing measures governing organizations under its jurisdiction".
On November 6, The Council of Cultural Affairs officially designated the memorial hall and its surrounding park a national historic site, which puts control over alterations to the site in the hands of the central government's heritage bodies.
The Memorial Hall website remains at http://www.cksmh.gov.tw, from the abbreviation of "Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall", but it refers to the hall at the time as the Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall. Subsidiary bodies, such as the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall Digial Library, did not all change their names to reflect this.
In December 2008 crowds gathered to watch the inscription at the main gate changed to designate the plaza as Liberty Square
.
. Legislator Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀) said: "According to the Constitution, any administrative order that goes against an existing law is invalid. So if the Legislature has not yet abolished the organic act of the CKS Memorial Hall, which has the same legal status as law, the newly proposed organic regulation, which is an administrative order, is invalid." The Constitution of the Republic of China
gives only the Legislature the power to enact, amend, or repeal laws. KMT legislators contend that the move by the Executive Yuan encroaches upon the powers of the Legislative Yuan, thereby violating the separation of powers.
Taipei City mayor Hau Lung-pin declared he would authorize no changes to city-maintained signs, including mass transit signs and maps, to recognize changes of names at the site. Hau cited the high costs of making such changes and blamed the name change on the desire of officials to create "ideological strife." The mayor said he recognized no name changes at the site to be legal unless recognized by the national legislature.
Debate over the name also took place on literary grounds. The term "Memorial Hall" (紀念堂) is normally used in Chinese to commemorate a deceased person or past event, such as the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall
in Beijing
, or the numerous Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
s in Taiwan and mainland China. Supporters of the name change had in mind the work of activists for democracy in Taiwan's history, especially those who had died for their efforts. Critics argued that the name "Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall" implied that Taiwan's democracy was dead.
giving the central government exclusive jurisdiction
over modification to the memorial hall. Once the regulation was formally announced by the Cabinet, the Ministry of Education
was authorized to change to the inscription on the front gate of the square from "Great Centrality and Perfect Uprightness" ("大中至正") to "Liberty Square" ("自由廣場"). The new inscription placed the characters in left-to-right sequence, a modern practice that had recently become official in Taiwan, rather than the right-to-left sequence of ancient Chinese tradition. In reaction to the passing of the regulation, Kuomintang
-led Taipei City government officials said they would continue to fight for jurisdiction over the hall. The new inscriptions to be used on the main building and the main gate are made up of Chinese character
s from the works of famous ancient Chinese calligraphers
. The inscription over the main building spells "Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall" (台灣民主紀念館) in seven characters taken from the calligraphy works of Ouyang Xun
(歐陽詢) of the Tang Dynasty
, while the four Chinese characters that represent "Liberty Square" (自由廣場) on the main gate is from the work of calligrapher Wang Xizhi
of the East Jin Dynasty.
On December 6, the Memorial Hall was closed to the public at 9:00am for three days by order of the Ministry of Education
to facilitate the replacement of the inscription on the main gate. Some relatives of victims of the 228 Incident
held a vigil at the Memorial Hall supporting the Ministry's decision while other groups of people protested the replacement of the inscription; the City government laid roadblock
s to prevent cranes from approaching. Kuomintang presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou
said at a separate setting that he would undo any removal or name change to the hall if he was elected.
On December 7, the old inscriptions on the main gate were removed. Contracted workers took more than seven hours to separate the four characters, each weighing half a ton, and lower them down carefully one by one. the final character, zheng (正), was peeled off at 5:26pm. A TV cameraman was run over by a small truck and seriously injured as supporters and opponents of the government's decision to alter the plaque at the Memorial Hall clashed near the scene. The Taipei City government issued another NT$
1 million fine to the Ministry of Education for damaging a historical site. The Ministry of Education defended its move, and denied any other plans to modify the site, such as removing the statue of Chiang Kai-shek
or demolishing the walls surrounding the park.
On December 8, the four new characters, which match the size of those taken down, were placed on the lawn in the afternoon by the side of the gate in advance of their installation. Also on that afternoon, the last bolt was hammered to complete the installation of the new "Liberty Square" inscription on the front side of the arch. At the same time, the new plaque for the main hall, bearing the name "National Taiwan Democracy Hall", was shown publicly for the first time. The plaque over the Hall itself would be separated into 15 smaller pieces and removed. The official re-opening of the site was scheduled for December 9. However, the slow pace of work postponed the re-opening until the next day. The delay was caused by the requirement to carefully align each character, with ground crews having to stand approximately one hundred metres away and guide the team on the crane who were affixing the characters. On December 6 city government's Labor Standard Inspection Office had issued an order to halt all work on the gate inscriptions, citing unsafe scaffolding
.
On December 30, Vice President
Annette Lu
apologised to the public for the Education Ministry's mishandling of the controversial plaque removal at the Memorial Hall, which she referred to as the "Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall" despite the Ministry of Education's purported renaming. She blamed her party's underperformance in opinion polls ahead of the 2008 presidential election on Education Minister Tu Cheng-sheng
's mishandling of the issue.
On New Year's Day 2008, the Memorial Hall opened a new exhibition on Taiwan's democratizing process sponsored by the "2.28 Memorial Fund". President Chen said the re-dedicated monument symbolised "opening the door to democracy". While the 10m-high (33 ft) bronze statue of Chiang remains in place, the guard of honour has been removed. As part of the exhibition, records of victims and milestones on the road to democracy were placed around the statue, along with about 300 kites to represent winds of democratic change.
candidate Ma Ying-jeou
was elected the 12th President of the Republic of China
on March 22, 2008. Ma had earlier pledged to restore the name of CKS Memorial Hall, the original hall contents (flags and guards), and the inscription on both the central gate and door. President Ma took office on May 20.
The Ministry of Education ended the special exhibition on March 31, 2008. The kites will be sent on a touring exhibition overseas. Other exhibits would be placed in storage and the hall returned to its state prior to the shut-down. The Education Ministry of Education announcements tended to be low key.
In an interview after his election, Ma Ying-jeou said that the "illegal" renaming was "violent" and "of course, ineffective". He promised to conduct wide public consultation regarding the names of the square and the memorial before acting according to law to either restore the old name or complete any re-naming processes.
The Executive Yuan on August 21, 2008, under the Ma Administration, officially restored the name "National Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall" to the hall. The sign designating the hall a monument to democracy remained in place.
On January 21, 2009 Vice Minister of Education Lu Mu-lin (呂木琳) announced that the original plaque designating the hall as Chiang Kai-shek Memorial would be restored by the end of the summer at a cost of NT$1 million (US$29,700). The guard ceremonies in the statue chamber would also be restored. He admitted that the promised forum soliciting public opinion would not take place, saying such an event would only "increase tensions" and invoke backlash from the Taiwanese minority who align themselves with the DPP. Lu announced at the same time that Liberty Square
would stand as the name for the plaza. "No changes will be made to it," he said, "as the square plays an important role in Taiwan’s democratic and cultural development."
On July 20, 2009 the original plaque was restored under heavy police protection, but virtually non-existent media coverage before the event (since the attention was on the World Games
2009 taking place in the same time in Kaohsiung City in the Southern part of Taiwan).
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is a famous monument, landmark and tourist attractions erected in memory of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. It is located in Taipei, Republic of China ....
in Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
to National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall was announced by President Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was the 10th and 11th-term President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been supportive of Taiwan independence, ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang rule in Taiwan...
on May 15, 2007. The surrounding plaza was rededicated to democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
as Liberty Square
Liberty Square (Taipei)
Liberty Square is a public plaza covering over 240,000 square meters in the Zhongzheng District of Taipei, Taiwan.- Overview :...
. This move was condemned by the pan-blue media as a political move by the Democratic Progressive Party
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party is a political party in Taiwan, and the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition. Founded in 1986, DPP is the first meaningful opposition party in Taiwan. It has traditionally been associated with strong advocacy of human rights and a distinct Taiwanese identity,...
to denounce the historical heritage of the Republic of China. The site has now been restored back to the original title of the "Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is a famous monument, landmark and tourist attractions erected in memory of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. It is located in Taipei, Republic of China ....
" as of July 20, 2009 with the Nationalists back in power.
Chen was then a member of the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
(ROC) Democratic Progressive Party
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party is a political party in Taiwan, and the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition. Founded in 1986, DPP is the first meaningful opposition party in Taiwan. It has traditionally been associated with strong advocacy of human rights and a distinct Taiwanese identity,...
, or DPP. In 2007 his party and its allies controlled the executive branch of the ROC government. The opposition, the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
, or KMT, and its allies held a one-vote majority in the legislature. With a national election looming in 2008, support and opposition divided along partisan lines. Legal wrangling ensued, with the debate centering on the prerogatives and powers of each branch of the ROC government. Legally, the executive branch held the authority to rename the monument and square without ratification by the legislature. The legislature, however, could deny some funding if it declined to recognize the new names in appropriate documents. The Taipei city government, then under KMT control, also weighed in, arguing historical status for the relatively new site and invoking city ordinances forbidding the alteration of such sites. For the remainder of Chen's term both old and new names remained in use, with preferences lining up largely on partisan lines.
On May 20, 2008, Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
arose as the victor in 2008 Presidential Elections which also saw his Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
party increase its majority in the legislature as the public became disillusioned with the misrule and money-laundering of the Democratic Progressive Party
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party is a political party in Taiwan, and the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition. Founded in 1986, DPP is the first meaningful opposition party in Taiwan. It has traditionally been associated with strong advocacy of human rights and a distinct Taiwanese identity,...
led by former President Chen Shui-Bian
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was the 10th and 11th-term President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been supportive of Taiwan independence, ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang rule in Taiwan...
. During the campaign Ma had promised to restore the original names and inscriptions at the site. After his election Ma promised to undertake wide consultation before making a final decision about names. In August 2008 Ministry of Education officials announced that the administration recognized the original name of the memorial as the official one but that no final decision would be made on the matter until the public was consulted. In January 2009 the Ministry of Education announced that no public forums would take place, that the original plaque designating the hall as Chiang Kai-shek Memorial would be restored by the end of the summer, and that Liberty Square
Liberty Square (Taipei)
Liberty Square is a public plaza covering over 240,000 square meters in the Zhongzheng District of Taipei, Taiwan.- Overview :...
would be allowed to stand as the name of the plaza.
Background
The society of Taiwan and other areas controlled by the Republic of China underwent a dramatic transformation in the years following the death of Chiang Kai-shekChiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
in 1975. In the next two decades Chiang Ching-kuo
Chiang Ching-kuo
Chiang Ching-kuo , Kuomintang politician and leader, was the son of President Chiang Kai-shek and held numerous posts in the government of the Republic of China...
(蔣經國) and Lee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui is a politician of the Republic of China . He was the 7th, 8th, and 9th-term President of the Republic of China and Chairman of the Kuomintang from 1988 to 2000. He presided over major advancements in democratic reforms including his own re-election which marked the first direct...
(李登輝) presided over a peaceful transition from single-party rule enforcing martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
to pluralistic democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
with protected human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. The nature and meaning of Chiang Kai-shek's rule could be openly debated and, as details of the 228 Incident
228 Incident
The 228 Incident, also known as the 228 Massacre, was an anti-government uprising in Taiwan that began on February 27, 1947, and was violently suppressed by the Kuomintang government. Estimates of the number of deaths vary from 10,000 to 30,000 or more...
and White Terror
White Terror
White Terror is the violence carried out by reactionary groups as part of a counter-revolution. In particular, during the 20th century, in several countries the term White Terror was applied to acts of violence against real or suspected socialists and communists.-Historical origin: the French...
publicly emerged, they were.
In 2000 Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was the 10th and 11th-term President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been supportive of Taiwan independence, ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang rule in Taiwan...
(陳水扁) of the Democratic Progressive Party
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party is a political party in Taiwan, and the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition. Founded in 1986, DPP is the first meaningful opposition party in Taiwan. It has traditionally been associated with strong advocacy of human rights and a distinct Taiwanese identity,...
, or DPP, was elected president. The executive
Executive Yuan
The Executive Yuan is the executive branch of the government of the Republic of China , commonly known as "Taiwan".-Organization and structure:...
branch of the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
government fell out of KMT
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
control for the first time. Executive power had been handed to the DPP and its affiliated parties, known as the Pan-Green Coalition
Pan-Green Coalition
The Pan-Green Coalition or Pan-Green Camp, is an informal political alliance of the Republic of China, commonly known as "Taiwan", consisting of the Democratic Progressive Party , Taiwan Solidarity Union , and the minor Taiwan Independence Party...
; the KMT and its affiliated parties, known as the Pan-Blue Coalition
Pan-Blue Coalition
The Pan-Blue Coalition 泛藍聯盟 or Pan-Blue Force is a political alliance in the Republic of China , consisting of the Kuomintang , the People First Party , and the New Party . The name comes from the party colours of the Kuomintang...
, maintained control of the legislature
Legislative Yuan
The Legislative Yuan is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China .The Legislative Yuan is one of the five branches of government stipulated by the Constitution of the Republic of China, which follows Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People...
. Elections in 2004 preserved the situation, awarding a second term to Chen and a majority in the legislature to the opposition.
Proposal
In 2006 37 DPP legislators proposed that Chiang Kai-shek's memorial be relocated to his tomb at Cihu and that the current structure be renamed Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall . They noted that the law authorizing a memorial for Chiang does not specify the site; a change in locale could thus be enacted by a simple executive order.The proposal attracted support from other Pan-Green
Pan-Green Coalition
The Pan-Green Coalition or Pan-Green Camp, is an informal political alliance of the Republic of China, commonly known as "Taiwan", consisting of the Democratic Progressive Party , Taiwan Solidarity Union , and the minor Taiwan Independence Party...
officials. Pan-Green leaders saw the idea as another step in the direction of rectifying names and symbols associated with the authoritarian past of the ROC government to make them more inclusive and characteristic of local Taiwanese culture. Pan-Blue
Pan-Blue Coalition
The Pan-Blue Coalition 泛藍聯盟 or Pan-Blue Force is a political alliance in the Republic of China , consisting of the Kuomintang , the People First Party , and the New Party . The name comes from the party colours of the Kuomintang...
officials resisted the measure. Few expressed open support of Chiang Kai-shek or one-party rule, arguing instead that the move represented unnecessary expense and election-year theater and that the localization of Taiwan's place names and symbols represented a treacherous effort to desinicize
Desinicization
Desinicization is a term that describes the act of the elimination of Chinese influence, which is the opposite of "sinicization".-Historical:...
the culture of the lands controlled by the Republic of China.
Renaming process
The official ceremony marking the renaming of the hall took place on 19 May 2007 when President Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was the 10th and 11th-term President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been supportive of Taiwan independence, ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang rule in Taiwan...
unveiled a plaque in front of the memorial bearing the name National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall (Traditional Chinese: 國立台灣民主紀念館). Chen announced that the name change reflected the desire of citizens "to bid goodbye to the old age and to show that we Taiwanese are all standing firmly behind the universal values of freedom, democracy and human rights." He noted that the date, May 19, marked the fifty-eighth anniversary of the imposition of martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
on Taiwan; the event began rule by the military on the island for thirty-eight years. Minor scuffles broke out among gathered spectators before the ceremony.
Large banners covering the north and south faces of the hall displayed the new name along with images of Formosan lilies. Their design recalled the pro-democracy Wild Lily student movement
Wild Lily student movement
Taiwan's Wild Lily student movement or March student movement was a six-day student demonstration in 1990 for democratic reform. The sit-in at Memorial Square in Taipei, initiated by a few students from National Taiwan University, soon drew the participation of over 300,000 demonstrators...
of 1990. New signs, displaying the new name and graphics, appeared in the garden park areas of the north and south gates. A drape covered the original name plaque over the entrance and the doors remained closed. No physical changes to the structure of the hall, though, were apparent and the statue of Chiang Kai-shek remained intact inside.
On May 22, Taipei City authorities moved in and dismantled the scaffolding obscuring the "Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall" tablet, and also removed the gigantic signs bearing the text "Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall" which had been hung over the memorial hall, on the basis that this covered the cultural site, which violates the Cultural Protection Law of the ROC and also that it was unauthorised advertising which violated Taipei City law. The City Government also issued a fine to the Ministry of Education for the second time over its redesignation moves, for blocking the view of and access to a heritage building. The Ministry of Education had earlier shut the gates to the Memorial for what it claimed was "repair work". The City Government has stated that, since no workmen could be observed conducting any repair work, it will take steps to re-open the gates.
On May 24, the new name plate unveiled by Chen Shui-bian was taken down by the Ministry of Education. The Ministry of Education cited the costly efforts to have a constant police guard at the name plate as the primary reason for its removal. A veteran was seen spitting on the new name plate that prompted the 24-hour police presence.
On June 7, a joint meeting of committees in the Legislative Yuan repealed the Ministry of Education's Organic Regulations of the National Taiwan Democracy Hall that established the name change. The move effectively voided the legal basis for the change, though pan-Blue legislators refrained from declaring the new name dead or the old one preserved. One legislator involved in the repeal was quoted as saying the final designation for the hall remained a political issue to be resolved through political means. Wang Shu-hui, DPP deputy caucus whip, argued that the legislature had "infringed upon the power of the central government by abolishing measures governing organizations under its jurisdiction".
On November 6, The Council of Cultural Affairs officially designated the memorial hall and its surrounding park a national historic site, which puts control over alterations to the site in the hands of the central government's heritage bodies.
The Memorial Hall website remains at http://www.cksmh.gov.tw, from the abbreviation of "Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall", but it refers to the hall at the time as the Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall. Subsidiary bodies, such as the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall Digial Library, did not all change their names to reflect this.
In December 2008 crowds gathered to watch the inscription at the main gate changed to designate the plaza as Liberty Square
Liberty Square (Taipei)
Liberty Square is a public plaza covering over 240,000 square meters in the Zhongzheng District of Taipei, Taiwan.- Overview :...
.
Legal controversy
The legality of the Executive Branch's move has been disputed by the Pan-Blue CoalitionPan-Blue Coalition
The Pan-Blue Coalition 泛藍聯盟 or Pan-Blue Force is a political alliance in the Republic of China , consisting of the Kuomintang , the People First Party , and the New Party . The name comes from the party colours of the Kuomintang...
. Legislator Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀) said: "According to the Constitution, any administrative order that goes against an existing law is invalid. So if the Legislature has not yet abolished the organic act of the CKS Memorial Hall, which has the same legal status as law, the newly proposed organic regulation, which is an administrative order, is invalid." The Constitution of the Republic of China
Constitution of the Republic of China
The Constitution of the Republic of China is the fundamental law of the Republic of China . Drafted by the Kuomintang as part of its third stage of national development , it established a centralized Republic with five branches of government...
gives only the Legislature the power to enact, amend, or repeal laws. KMT legislators contend that the move by the Executive Yuan encroaches upon the powers of the Legislative Yuan, thereby violating the separation of powers.
Taipei City mayor Hau Lung-pin declared he would authorize no changes to city-maintained signs, including mass transit signs and maps, to recognize changes of names at the site. Hau cited the high costs of making such changes and blamed the name change on the desire of officials to create "ideological strife." The mayor said he recognized no name changes at the site to be legal unless recognized by the national legislature.
Debate over the name also took place on literary grounds. The term "Memorial Hall" (紀念堂) is normally used in Chinese to commemorate a deceased person or past event, such as the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall
Mausoleum of Mao Zedong
The Chairman Mao Memorial Hall , commonly known as the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, or the Mao Mausoleum, is the final resting place of Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China from 1943 and the chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China from 1945...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, or the numerous Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
The National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall is located in Taipei, Republic of China . It is a memorial to the Republic of China's National Father, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, and was completed on 1972. The total building area covers in an open space of...
s in Taiwan and mainland China. Supporters of the name change had in mind the work of activists for democracy in Taiwan's history, especially those who had died for their efforts. Critics argued that the name "Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall" implied that Taiwan's democracy was dead.
Re-opening
On December 4, 2007, the Cabinet-level Council of Cultural Affairs passed a regulationRegulation
Regulation is administrative legislation that constitutes or constrains rights and allocates responsibilities. It can be distinguished from primary legislation on the one hand and judge-made law on the other...
giving the central government exclusive jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
over modification to the memorial hall. Once the regulation was formally announced by the Cabinet, the Ministry of Education
Ministry of Education (Republic of China)
The Ministry of Education of the Republic of China is responsible for incorporating educational policies and managing public schools throughout the Free Area of the Republic of China. The ministry is a cabinet level governmental body of the Executive Yuan...
was authorized to change to the inscription on the front gate of the square from "Great Centrality and Perfect Uprightness" ("大中至正") to "Liberty Square" ("自由廣場"). The new inscription placed the characters in left-to-right sequence, a modern practice that had recently become official in Taiwan, rather than the right-to-left sequence of ancient Chinese tradition. In reaction to the passing of the regulation, Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
-led Taipei City government officials said they would continue to fight for jurisdiction over the hall. The new inscriptions to be used on the main building and the main gate are made up of Chinese character
Chinese character
Chinese characters are logograms used in the writing of Chinese and Japanese , less frequently Korean , formerly Vietnamese , or other languages...
s from the works of famous ancient Chinese calligraphers
East Asian calligraphy
East Asian calligraphy is a form of calligraphy widely practised and revered in the Sinosphere. This most often includes China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. The East Asian calligraphic tradition originated and developed from China. There is a general standardization of the various styles of...
. The inscription over the main building spells "Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall" (台灣民主紀念館) in seven characters taken from the calligraphy works of Ouyang Xun
Ouyang Xun
Ouyang Xun , courtesy name Xinben , was a Confucian scholar and calligrapher of the early Tang Dynasty. He was born in Hunan, Changsha, to a family of government officials; and died in modern Anhui province.-Achievements:...
(歐陽詢) of the Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, while the four Chinese characters that represent "Liberty Square" (自由廣場) on the main gate is from the work of calligrapher Wang Xizhi
Wang Xizhi
Wang Xizhi was a Chinese calligrapher, traditionally referred to as the Sage of Calligraphy , who lived during the Jin Dynasty...
of the East Jin Dynasty.
On December 6, the Memorial Hall was closed to the public at 9:00am for three days by order of the Ministry of Education
Ministry of Education (Republic of China)
The Ministry of Education of the Republic of China is responsible for incorporating educational policies and managing public schools throughout the Free Area of the Republic of China. The ministry is a cabinet level governmental body of the Executive Yuan...
to facilitate the replacement of the inscription on the main gate. Some relatives of victims of the 228 Incident
228 Incident
The 228 Incident, also known as the 228 Massacre, was an anti-government uprising in Taiwan that began on February 27, 1947, and was violently suppressed by the Kuomintang government. Estimates of the number of deaths vary from 10,000 to 30,000 or more...
held a vigil at the Memorial Hall supporting the Ministry's decision while other groups of people protested the replacement of the inscription; the City government laid roadblock
Roadblock
A roadblock is a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road. The reasons for one could be:*Roadworks*Temporary road closure during special events*Police chase*Robbery*Sobriety checkpoint...
s to prevent cranes from approaching. Kuomintang presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
said at a separate setting that he would undo any removal or name change to the hall if he was elected.
On December 7, the old inscriptions on the main gate were removed. Contracted workers took more than seven hours to separate the four characters, each weighing half a ton, and lower them down carefully one by one. the final character, zheng (正), was peeled off at 5:26pm. A TV cameraman was run over by a small truck and seriously injured as supporters and opponents of the government's decision to alter the plaque at the Memorial Hall clashed near the scene. The Taipei City government issued another NT$
New Taiwan dollar
The New Taiwan dollar , or simply Taiwan dollar, is the official currency of the Taiwan Area of the Republic of China since 1949, when it replaced the Old Taiwan dollar...
1 million fine to the Ministry of Education for damaging a historical site. The Ministry of Education defended its move, and denied any other plans to modify the site, such as removing the statue of Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
or demolishing the walls surrounding the park.
On December 8, the four new characters, which match the size of those taken down, were placed on the lawn in the afternoon by the side of the gate in advance of their installation. Also on that afternoon, the last bolt was hammered to complete the installation of the new "Liberty Square" inscription on the front side of the arch. At the same time, the new plaque for the main hall, bearing the name "National Taiwan Democracy Hall", was shown publicly for the first time. The plaque over the Hall itself would be separated into 15 smaller pieces and removed. The official re-opening of the site was scheduled for December 9. However, the slow pace of work postponed the re-opening until the next day. The delay was caused by the requirement to carefully align each character, with ground crews having to stand approximately one hundred metres away and guide the team on the crane who were affixing the characters. On December 6 city government's Labor Standard Inspection Office had issued an order to halt all work on the gate inscriptions, citing unsafe scaffolding
Scaffolding
Scaffolding is a temporary structure used to support people and material in the construction or repair of buildings and other large structures. It is usually a modular system of metal pipes or tubes, although it can be from other materials...
.
Vice President of the Republic of China
The Vice President of the Republic of China is the second-highest executive official of the Republic of China . The existing office was created in 1948 under the 1947 Constitution of the Republic of China...
Annette Lu
Annette Lu
Annette Lu Hsiu-lien , was the Vice President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008, under Chen Shui-bian. She announced her intentions to run for President of Taiwan on March 6, 2007, but withdrew in order to support DPP presidential nominee, Frank Hsieh...
apologised to the public for the Education Ministry's mishandling of the controversial plaque removal at the Memorial Hall, which she referred to as the "Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall" despite the Ministry of Education's purported renaming. She blamed her party's underperformance in opinion polls ahead of the 2008 presidential election on Education Minister Tu Cheng-sheng
Tu Cheng-sheng
Tu Cheng-sheng , a Taiwanese politician. Tu served as the Minister of Education of the Republic of China during Chen Shui-bian's second term as President....
's mishandling of the issue.
On New Year's Day 2008, the Memorial Hall opened a new exhibition on Taiwan's democratizing process sponsored by the "2.28 Memorial Fund". President Chen said the re-dedicated monument symbolised "opening the door to democracy". While the 10m-high (33 ft) bronze statue of Chiang remains in place, the guard of honour has been removed. As part of the exhibition, records of victims and milestones on the road to democracy were placed around the statue, along with about 300 kites to represent winds of democratic change.
Restoration
KMTKuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
candidate Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
was elected the 12th President of the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
on March 22, 2008. Ma had earlier pledged to restore the name of CKS Memorial Hall, the original hall contents (flags and guards), and the inscription on both the central gate and door. President Ma took office on May 20.
The Ministry of Education ended the special exhibition on March 31, 2008. The kites will be sent on a touring exhibition overseas. Other exhibits would be placed in storage and the hall returned to its state prior to the shut-down. The Education Ministry of Education announcements tended to be low key.
In an interview after his election, Ma Ying-jeou said that the "illegal" renaming was "violent" and "of course, ineffective". He promised to conduct wide public consultation regarding the names of the square and the memorial before acting according to law to either restore the old name or complete any re-naming processes.
The Executive Yuan on August 21, 2008, under the Ma Administration, officially restored the name "National Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall" to the hall. The sign designating the hall a monument to democracy remained in place.
On January 21, 2009 Vice Minister of Education Lu Mu-lin (呂木琳) announced that the original plaque designating the hall as Chiang Kai-shek Memorial would be restored by the end of the summer at a cost of NT$1 million (US$29,700). The guard ceremonies in the statue chamber would also be restored. He admitted that the promised forum soliciting public opinion would not take place, saying such an event would only "increase tensions" and invoke backlash from the Taiwanese minority who align themselves with the DPP. Lu announced at the same time that Liberty Square
Liberty Square (Taipei)
Liberty Square is a public plaza covering over 240,000 square meters in the Zhongzheng District of Taipei, Taiwan.- Overview :...
would stand as the name for the plaza. "No changes will be made to it," he said, "as the square plays an important role in Taiwan’s democratic and cultural development."
On July 20, 2009 the original plaque was restored under heavy police protection, but virtually non-existent media coverage before the event (since the attention was on the World Games
World Games
The World Games, first held in 1981, are an international multi-sport event, meant for sports, or disciplines or events within a sport, that are not contested in the Olympic Games...
2009 taking place in the same time in Kaohsiung City in the Southern part of Taiwan).