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Cihu Mausoleum (), officially known as the Mausoleum of Late President Chiang () or President Chiang Kai-shek Mausoleum, is the final resting place of President
Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...
. It is located in Daxi District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan. When Chiang Kai-shek died in 1975, he was not buried in the traditional Chinese fashion but entombed in a black marble
sarcophagus A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek ...
that can be seen today at the mausoleum.


Lake and residence

Cihu (慈湖) literally means "benevolence lake", and it refers to the eight acre (32,000 m²) lake located near the tomb-site. The lake is divided into two smaller lakes, 5 acres (20,000 m²) and 3 acres (12,000 m²) each with a canal connecting them together. It was formerly called "Green Water Lake" () until Chiang Kai-shek renamed it as "Cihu" in 1962 because the scenery reminded him of his benevolent mother and his home town,
Fenghua Fenghua (; ) is a district of the city of Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China. The district and its administrative hinterlands has a population of over 480,000. Fenghua is most famous for being the hometown of former Presidents Chiang Kai-shek an ...
. Chiang loved the lake so much that he had an official residence built nearby to architecturally resemble the houses in Fenghua. He also named his favorite residence ''Cihu'', which was converted to his
mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...
upon his death in 1975. Chiang's body lies in the main hall of the residence. The residence was designed by architect Yang Cho-cheng.


Tomb

The Presidential Burial Place was formerly under the jurisdiction of the
Republic of China Ministry of National Defense The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China (MND; ) is the ministry of the Republic of China (Taiwan) responsible for all defense and military affairs of Taiwan. The MND is headed by Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng. History The MND wa ...
and guarded by the Republic of China Military Police. Management of the grounds was transferred to the Taoyuan County government in 2007, and the military police were removed. Two ceremonial guards from the armed forces stand at attention at the entrance to the former Chiang residence. It is customary to give a respectful bow. Visitors are not allowed to take photographs inside the mausoleum, a prohibition that doesn't apply to the outside. Cihu is perennially open daily for visits from 8am to 4pm (though it was closed from December 2007 to May 2008, during the waning months of Chen Shui-bian's administration). Interest in the Burial Place was actually revived this two years as it became embroiled in the then ruling
Democratic Progressive Party The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a Taiwanese nationalist and centre-left political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). Controlling both the Republic of China presidency and the unicameral Legislative Yuan, it is the majori ...
’s campaign to remove public vestiges of the man many see as a brutal dictator. During those two years, Chiang Kai-shek statues from around Taiwan were relocated to the hillside park near the mausoleum. Prior to the late 1990s, visitors would line up hours for the chance to pay their respects to Chiang Kai-shek (either by bowing three times or saluting before the sarcophagus). Schoolchildren were often bussed in to do the same. At the anniversary of his death on April 5, high-ranking Kuomintang officials would pay homage to the late President in lavish ceremonies. Since democratization of Taiwan during the 1990s, the visitors to Cihu have dwindled in their numbers and the next generation of KMT officials, have visited with less pomp and ceremony. Supporters of
Taiwan independence Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...
(and pro-independence leaders such as Chen Shui-bian) do not visit the site due to their dislike for Chiang Kai-shek—a leader whom they viewed as one who imposed authoritarian rule on Taiwan. When Chiang Kai-shek's son, President Chiang Ching-kuo, died in 1988 he was also entombed in a similar fashion in nearby Touliao Mausoleum,
Daxi Dàxī may refer to: Mainland China *Daxi (大西) dynasty, a short-lived dynasty (1643–1646) established by Zhang Xianzhong *Daxi Creek (大溪), tributary of the Xitao River in Anji County, Zhejiang *Daxi culture (5000 BC–3000 BC), Neolithic ...
. This gained Daxi the reputation as the “township of the Presidents”. In 2004, Chiang Fang-liang, the widow of Chiang Ching-kuo, asked that both father and son be buried at
Wuchih Mountain Military Cemetery The Wuzhi Mountain Military Cemetery (, sometimes romanized as ''Wuchih'') is Taiwan's most prominent military cemetery. The cemetery is located on Wuzhi Mountain () at an elevation of in Xizhi, New Taipei City and borders Taipei City's Neihu Di ...
in Hsichih, Taipei County. The state funeral ceremony was planned for late 2006, but due to repeated delays, no ceremony was ever held or materialized. There was public debate if another national funeral should be held again for the burial in Wuchih Mountain Military Cemetery, with fervent supporters of
Taiwan independence Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...
against granting honors to someone whom they view as a dictator. However, President Chen was inclined to hold another national funeral (the first to invoke the state funeral law) but limited it to one day. Chiang Fang-liang and Soong Mei-ling had agreed in 1997 that the former leaders be first buried but still be moved to mainland China in the event of reunification. Soong Mei-ling died in 2003 and was entombed at Ferncliff Cemetery in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
. Chiang Fang-liang died in 2004 and her cremated remains were placed next to her husband's tomb at Touliao. With the election of Kuomintang candidate Ma Ying-jeou in the
2008 Republic of China presidential election Presidential elections were held in Taiwan on 22 March 2008. Kuomintang (KMT) nominee Ma Ying-jeou won with 58% of the vote, ending eight years of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rule. Along with the 2008 legislative election, Ma's landslide ...
, Taoyuan County officials hoped the mausoleum would be reopened and planned to give the public a glimpse of a previously restricted section of the park. The residence was converted into his temporary resting site after his death on 5 April 1975 and opened to visitors. But the mysterious grounds behind the mausoleum remained under the control of the Ministry of National Defense, making it impossible for the public to appreciate the beauty of the location or Chiang’s security precautions. The trail into the lush woodlands of the restricted area is punctuated with blockhouses, stone-walled sentry posts and bomb shelters, reflecting the tensions between Chiang’s government and its Chinese communist rival and his concern for his own safety. It has recently been revealed that the site was involved in the top secret plan to retake Mainland China called Project National Glory (國光計劃). In April 1964, Chiang ordered the construction of air-raid shelters and five military offices at Cihu, which served as a secret command center for Project National Glory. The tomb was vandalized by pro-independence activists on 28 February 2018, the 71st anniversary of the 228 incident, and the activists were later arrested. Because of the vandalism, the tomb is now separated by a glass panel for visitors to view the sarcophagus from the outside, therefore the room is no longer accessible to the general public.


Gallery

Image:Taiwan 2009 CiHu Mausoleom of Chiang Kai Shek in TaoYuan County FRD 7825.jpg Image:Taiwan 2009 CiHu Mausoleom of Chiang Kai Shek in TaoYuan County FRD 7815.jpg Image:Taiwan 2009 Garden of the Generalissimos at CiHu Mausoleom of Chiang Kai Shek in TaoYuan County FRD 7870.jpg Image:Taiwan 2009 Garden of the Generalissimos at CiHu Mausoleom of Chiang Kai Shek in TaoYuan County FRD 7879.jpg


See also

* Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum * Touliao Mausoleum *
Shilin Official Residence The Shilin Official Residence () is the former residence of late Republic of China President Chiang Kai-shek located on Zhongshan North Road in Shilin District, Taipei, Taiwan. History During the Japanese Colonial era on Taiwan, it was the l ...
*
Guesthouses of Chiang Kai-shek The Guesthouses of Chiang Kai-shek () were built in order for the former President of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek, to have places to stay while travelling on inspection tours and holidays around Taiwan. According to current Republic of Ch ...
* National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall *
Chiang Kai-shek statues Chiang Kai-shek statues ( or ) are statues of the late Republic of China (ROC) President Chiang Kai-shek. They are found almost everywhere in Taiwan, from parks to schools to military bases, and are usually made of a bronze alloy, although ...
* Wuzhi Mountain Military Cemetery * (Former Tomb and Memorial Museum of Chen Cheng, demolished in 1995) * Mausoleum of Mao Zedong


References


External links


Cihu Presidential Burial Place (Cultural Affairs Bureau, Taoyuan County Government)Cihu Presidential Mausoleum Pictures (Daily Bubble Tea) (2008-10-17)
{{coord, 24.8422, 121.2993, type:landmark_region:TW, display=title Chiang Kai-shek Buildings and structures in Taoyuan City Mausoleums in Taiwan Tourist attractions in Taoyuan City