Unwanted statues of a highly divisive general? Here’s how Taiwan deals with the issue
Memorials to Chiang Kai-shek have been taken out of public buildings and taken to a park as the island tries to come to terms with his legacy
As the United States wrestles with the problem of what to do with monuments to a divisive history, Taiwan has found a solution – a park dedicated to unwanted statues of a controversial figure from its past.
More than 200 memorials to Chiang Kai-shek, the former nationalist leader of Taiwan revered as a hero by some but despised as a dictator by others, have been quietly removed from schools and government buildings, and brought together in a serene lakeside spot.
Each day, tourists roam among the 253 figures at the Cihu Memorial Statues Park, which come in a variety of colours – some teal, some bronze and some copper red.
The largest piece is an imposing figure of a seated Chiang, removed from a government office in the southern city of Kaohsiung in 2007.
Close by are two sculptures of Chiang’s son Chiang Ching-kuo, who along with his father oversaw decades of political purges known as the “White Terror”.