Our next trip after the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall was the National Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall. The Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall was constructed to commemorate the wisdom, benevolence, courage and spirit of the legendary revolutionary founding Father of Republic of China, Dr. Sun Yat Sen, who are revered by both the PRC and ROC. Dr. Sun Yat Sen was regarded as the pioneer of the establishment of the Republic of China after he led a revolutionary movement to overthrow the dictator leadership of the Qing dynasty. Until the present time, even the communist government in Mainland China hangs Dr. Sun’s portrait at Tian An Men on National Days. Most tourists tend to skip this site but if you are interested in the history of China and Taiwan, a visit to the memorial hall is worth it.
Through a public contest, a design by a local architect Wang Ta Hung, who was also the designer of the Lin Yutang House, was selected because it was a totally traditional Chinese architecture. The construction of the building started in 1964 and one year later the groundbreaking ceremony was conducted by President Chiang Kai Shek. Sprawling over an area of 28.4 acres, the park is situated at Chung Shan Park in east side of Taipei and close to Taipei City Government. The building was completed on May 16, 1972 on the 100th birthday of Dr. Sun. The memorial hall houses a performance hall that can accommodate up to 3000 people, an exhibition center of about 10,000 square feet that displays works of famous artists, a multimedia theater, an audio-visual center, lecture halls that often house academics and other lectures, and a library with 400 seats and over 300,000 books. The memorial hall exhibits the story of Sun’s life and the revolution he led. Besides that, the park is also the center of social, educational and cultural events. The hall also hosts various cultural and art events throughout the year, including the Golden Horse Awards, Golden Bell Awards, and Culture Awards. The site is free to tour and open from 9 am to 5 pm every day.
Inspired by the ancient Chinese palace architecture style, the structure of the building is more down to earth than the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. The memorial hall has giant orange roof that attracts visitors’ attention and makes it one of the iconic buildings in Taipei. The memorial was also the venue to hold the funeral of Chiang Kai Shek in 1975. Unfortunately this is not the main facade of the building for I did not know about this. This structure is the south side of the building. 
Outside the main building there is a large park of around 115,500 square meters with trees and flowers surrounding it. The bronze statue of the seated Dr. Sun is placed in the park. The park is also a place for kite flyers and roller skaters to practice so it is a public space for sports and recreation. Due to its large size, the park has become a popular temporary getaway for the city people to relax and retreat from the hectic city’s life. Maybe the most interesting time to visit the park is during daybreak or dusk when the crowds engaging with various activities fill the ground. 
The statue of Dr. Sun at the park
The painting of Dr. Sun Yat Sen leading the revolution at the exhibition hall
Along the exhibition room there are many works of famous artists describing the life of Dr. Sun and the revolution he led
Just like the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, there is a procession of guards changing every hour at the main hall. The procession showed intricate choreography of the soldiers spinning their bayoneted rifles. The Army, Navy and Air Force take turns to serve as the honor guards from 9 am to 5 pm with hourly shifts. There were so many people watching this procession. The camera flash did not stop snapping
Inside the main hall, there is a giant bronze statue of 19-feet of Dr. Sun Yat Sen sitting on the chair welcoming the visitors. The size of the statue is very similar to the one in the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. 
There are two soldiers with bayoneted rifles guarding the main statue. The soldiers were motionless, very similar to those in the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. 
This is the history exhibition room
The history exhibition room documents the life of Dr. Sun, his struggles and achievements in leading the revolution. The exhibition room is divided into east and west side. The east side displays documents related with Dr. Sun Yat Sen’s founding of the Republic of China, while the west side exhibits documents related with Dr. Sun Yat Sen and Taiwan. 
The library inside the memorial hall
A very inspiring inscription on a white stone saying “One Man Changed China” with the name of Dr. Sun Yat Sen underneath it. What a respect to the Founding Father. 
From the garden of the memorial hall, you can also catch a great view of the Taipei 101 building
The Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall is a deep respect and appreciation to the National Founding Father of China. Dr. Sun deserves to get this because without him there would not have been the present Mainland China and Taiwan. If there is one man ever changed the history of China, that is Dr. Sun Yat Sen. May the spirit of nationalism always reside in the heart of the Chinese people.
Sources:
Personal experience and additional information from other online articles
0 komentar:
Post a Comment