Liberty Square (also Freedom Square) is a public plaza covering over in the
Zhongzheng District
Zhongzheng District (also Jhongjheng District) is a District (Taiwan), district in Taipei, Taiwan. Taipei Main Station is located in the district. It is home to most of the national government buildings of Taiwan.
Overview
The district is n ...
of
Taipei
, nickname = The City of Azaleas
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, Taiwan. It has served as the city's public gathering place of choice since its completion in the late 1970s. The name of the square recalls the important historical role it played in Taiwan's transition from one-party rule to modern
democracy
Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...
in the 1990s.
Overview
Liberty Square serves as a major site for public gatherings in
Taipei
, nickname = The City of Azaleas
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and is home to three major landmarks as well as civic parks. At the east end of Liberty Square stands the
National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall ( zh, t=中正紀念堂, p=zhōngzhèng jìniàntáng, poj=Tiong-chèng-kí-liām-tn̂g) is a national monument and tourist attraction erected in memory of Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of C ...
. The square is flanked by the
National Concert Hall
The National Concert Hall (NCH) (An Ceoláras Náisiúnta) is a national cultural institution, sometimes described as "the home of music in Ireland". It comprises the actual concert hall operation, which in various chambers hosts over 1,000 ...
on the north and the
National Theater on the south. A park surrounds the plaza and a wall surrounds the site. The square sits within sight of the
Presidential Office Building.
Liberty Square regularly serves as the site of mass gatherings in Taiwan. It is the scene for red-carpet ceremonies when
Taiwan's president greets foreign dignitaries. Crowds gather at the square throughout the year for outdoor festivals and concerts. The Taipei
Lantern Festival
The Lantern Festival ( zh, t=wikt:元宵節, 元宵節, s=wikt:元宵节, 元宵节, first=t, hp=Yuánxiāo jié), also called Shangyuan Festival ( zh, t=上元節, s=上元节, first=t, hp=Shàngyuán jié) and Cap Go Meh ( zh, t=十五暝, ...
regularly takes place on the square. On many days students, athletes and soldiers may be seen at the square, working on drills and dance routines. The National Theater and Concert Hall host over 800 events every year and provide iconic backdrops for events on the square.
The ponds and parks surrounding the memorial and cultural centers feature well-maintained lawns, trees, and pathways. The ponds are filled with colourful ''
koi
, or more specifically , are colored varieties of carp ('' Cyprinus'' sp.) that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens.
Koi is an informal name for the colored variants of carp kept for ornamental purposes. ...
'' traditionally found in gardens in
East Asia
East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...
. The parks regularly play host to quieter forms of public activity, such as
Go games and
taekwondo
Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...
,
tai chi
is a Chinese martial art. Initially developed for combat and self-defense, for most practitioners it has evolved into a sport and form of exercise. As an exercise, tai chi is performed as gentle, low-impact movement in which practitioners ...
and other
martial arts
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...
practices. Holiday
marching band
A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who play while marching. Historically they were used in armed forces and many marching bands remain military bands. Others are still associated with military units or emulate a military sty ...
and
drum and bugle corps Drum and bugle corps is a name used to describe several related musical ensembles.
* Drum and bugle corps (modern), a musical marching unit
* Drum and bugle corps (classic), musical ensembles that descended from military bugle and drum units retur ...
concerts, honor guard drill shows and traditional Chinese dances are also held within the grounds.
History
The square had its beginnings in the 1970s at a time when
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
remained under
martial
Marcus Valerius Martialis (known in English as Martial ; March, between 38 and 41 AD – between 102 and 104 AD) was a Roman and Celtiberian poet born in Bilbilis, Hispania (modern Spain) best known for his twelve books of '' Epigrams'', pu ...
one-party rule by the
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...
(Chinese Nationalists).
Architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
Yang Cho-cheng conceived the plaza as part of a grand design for a memorial to
Chiang Kai-shek, the
President of the Republic of China
The president of the Republic of China, also known as the president of Taiwan, is the head of state of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan), as well as the commander-in-chief of the Republic of China Armed Forces. Republic of China (1912– ...
who relocated to
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
after the overthrow of the Kuomintang regime in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
during the
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...
. The square first opened to the public as Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Square after Chiang's death in 1975.
Architecture at the site incorporates many traditional elements and recalls
earlier Kuomintang monuments erected in
Republican China. Yang's design symbolically assigned civic virtues to each area of the square. The main gate, the Gate of Integrity (; using the two characters of Chiang Kai-shek's name), was placed at the west end on Zhongshan South Road, with the Gate of Loyalty () standing at the north side on Xinyi Road and the Gate of Piety () at the south side on Aiguo East Road. A Boulevard of Homage, bordered by manicured bushes, connects the square to the memorial hall.
The square became Taipei's site of choice for mass gatherings as soon as it opened. The nature of many gatherings gave the site new historical meanings. The square became the hub of events in the 1980s and early 1990s that ushered Taiwan into its era of modern
democracy
Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...
. Of the many pro-democracy demonstrations that took place at the square, the most influential was the
Wild Lily student movement
Taiwan's Wild Lily student movement () or March student movement was a six-day student demonstration in 1990 for democracy. The sit-in at Memorial Square in Taipei (since rededicated as Liberty Square in commemoration of the movement) was in ...
of 1990. The movement provided the impetus for the far-reaching political reforms of President
Lee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui (; pinyin: ''Lǐ Dēnghuī''; 15 January 192330 July 2020) was a Taiwanese politician and agricultural scientist who served as the fourth president of the Republic of China, president of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan) unde ...
. These culminated in the first popular elections of national leaders in 1996.
The plaza's importance in the development of Taiwan's democracy led to its rededication as Liberty Square by President
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian ( zh, t=陳水扁; born 12 October 1950) is a Taiwanese former politician and lawyer who served as the fifth president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2000 to 2008. Chen was the first president from the Democratic Progres ...
in 2007. Though the announcement of the new name was initially greeted with hostility by officials in the
Pan-Blue
The Pan-Blue coalition, Pan-Blue force or Pan-Blue groups is a political coalition in the Republic of China (Taiwan) consisting of the Kuomintang (KMT), People First Party (PFP), New Party (CNP), Non-Partisan Solidarity Union (NPSU), and Youn ...
camp, the name was eventually affirmed by officials across the political spectrum.
The inscriptions over the archways, including the main gate that declares the plaza as "Liberty Square", recall the calligraphic style of
Wang Xizhi
Wang Xizhi ( zh, c=王羲之; courtesy name: Yishao ( zh, labels=no, c=逸少); ) was a Chinese politician, general and calligrapher from the Jin dynasty (266–420) known for his mastery of Chinese calligraphy. He is often regarded as the great ...
in the
East Jin Dynasty
East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that eas ...
(see
Chinese calligraphy
Chinese calligraphy is the writing of Chinese characters as an art form, combining purely Visual arts, visual art and interpretation of the literary meaning. This type of expression has been widely practiced in China and has been generally held ...
). The style is noted for its sense of vitality, movement and freedom. The
characters
Character or Characters may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk
* ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to Theoph ...
are placed in left-to-right sequence, following modern practice in Taiwan, rather than the right-to-left order of ancient Chinese tradition, which had been adopted at the site previously.
Liberty Square remains popular as a public meeting place and a symbol of democratic progress. Within weeks of its re-dedication the square was the scene of demonstrations on behalf of freedom for
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
, and within the year it was the scene of rallies for speech and assembly rights by the
Wild Strawberry student movement. In February 2017 Taiwan's Ministry of Culture announced plans to transform the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall itself into a national center for “facing history, recognizing agony, and respecting human rights.”
[https://english.moc.gov.tw/information_196_75171.html ]
Transportation
The square is accessible from
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station of
Taipei Metro
Taipei Metro (also known as Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and branded as Metro Taipei) is a rapid transit system operated by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation serving the capital Taipei and New Taipei City in Taiwan.
It was the first rapi ...
.
See also
*
National Theater and Concert Hall
The National Theater Hall ( zh, t=國家戲劇院 , poj=Kok-ka Hì-kio̍k-īⁿ , p=Guójiā Xìjù Yuàn) and National Concert Hall ( zh, t=國家音樂廳 , p=Guójiā Yīnyuè Tīng, poj=Kok-ka Im-ga̍k-thiaⁿ, labels=yes), or together t ...
References
External links
{{commons category, Liberty Square (Taipei)
Buildings and structures in Taipei
Monuments and memorials in Taiwan
National squares
Squares in Taipei