Taiwan holds last Chiang Kai-shek honour guard as William Lai leads moves to erase legacy

Legacy seen as a reminder of Taiwan’s authoritarian past and historical mainland ties, both contrary to the ruling DPP’s political stance

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The changing of the guard ceremony has been moved outside the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei, after being staged around a statue of the late leader since 1980. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:00pm, 15 Jul 2024Updated: 1:11am, 16 Jul 2024

Taiwan’s hourly changing of the guard before a giant statue of former leader Chiang Kai-shek has formally ended, seen as part of its new government’s efforts to erase the legacy of the late Kuomintang chief and the island’s historical ties to mainland China.

Starting from 9am on Monday, the handover ceremony had been relocated to outside the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, according to Taiwan’s culture ministry.

For decades, the ceremony had been a favourite of tourists from the mainland and Hong Kong visiting the hall in Taipei.

“Removing the cult of personality and ending worshipping of authoritarianism is the goal of promoting transitional justice at the present stage,” the ministry said earlier in a statement clarifying the decision.

Taiwan’s culture minister, Li Yuan, celebrated the move in a Facebook post on Monday. “A small step like this took 44 years to achieve,” he wrote, referring to the inauguration of the hall and the ceremony in 1980.

Military guards will now march out from the southern and northern sides of the memorial hall, and the pair of three-member teams will converge at Democracy Boulevard – a 380 metre (1,246 feet) cobbled avenue in front of the hall – to conduct the 15-minute ceremony.