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All Taiwan Taoyuan Garden of the Generalissimos
AO Edited

Garden of the Generalissimos

A Taiwanese garden teems with the retired statues of the island's former dictator.

Taoyuan, Taiwan

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Getty Hesse
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A crowd of statues   gettyhesse / Atlas Obscura User
A crowd of statues   gettyhesse / Atlas Obscura User
A parade of Chiangs   gettyhesse / Atlas Obscura User
  gettyhesse / Atlas Obscura User
  gettyhesse / Atlas Obscura User
  gettyhesse / Atlas Obscura User
Chiang on horseback   gettyhesse / Atlas Obscura User
The entrance   gettyhesse / Atlas Obscura User
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Some statues of Sun Yat-sen, father of modern China   gettyhesse / Atlas Obscura User
A statue of Kuomintang soldiers   gettyhesse / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Nestled at the point where urban Taoyuan City, Taiwan, transforms into mountain forest, the Garden of the Generalissimos forms a bizarre wonderland where the image of the island's former dictator is replicated more than a hundred times over.

After losing China to the communist forces in 1949, Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang retreated to the island of Taiwan, where he would enforce a brutal dictatorship until his death in 1975. Martial law, already in place since 1947, would continue until Chiang's son, Chiang Ching-kuo, lifted it in 1987. During this period, thousands of suspected communists, Taiwanese nationalists, and democracy advocates would be killed or imprisoned for political crimes, many of them at the notorious prison on Green Island.

Since 2000, the now-democratic Taiwan has engaged in a tentative policy of monument removal, and approximately 150 Chiang Kai-shek statues have been relocated to this garden, placed haphazardly amidst picturesque foliage, rolling hills, and a winding river. Chiang rides on horseback, waving at imaginary crowds. Or else, he stands with a cane and hat in hand. Or perhaps he sits with a book on his knee. No matter his pose, he smiles gently, like a benevolent uncle, belying the brutality of his dictatorship.

The statues repeat the same poses and expressions again and again, giving visitors a sense of unreality, as if in a hall of mirrors. Amongst the multitude of Chiang statues, one can also glimpse the occasional statue of Sun Yat-sen, father of modern China and founder of the Kuomintang, and one statue of Chiang Ching-Kuo.

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Monuments History Statues Politics Dictators Gardens

Know Before You Go

The garden is free to enter and open 24 hours a day. The easiest way to reach it is by bus or scooter.

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gettyhesse

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linkogecko

  • linkogecko

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September 27, 2024

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  • https://taiwanreview.nat.gov.tw/news_amp.php?unit=12&post=22058&unitname=Society-Taiwan-Review&postname=The-Generalissimo%27s-Garden-Party
Garden of the Generalissimos
1097 Section 1, Fuxing Rd
Taoyuan, 335
Taiwan
24.841555, 121.293704
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Mausoleum of Chiang Kai-shek

Taoyuan, Taiwan

miles away

Hunglodei Nanshan Fude Temple

Taipei, Taiwan

miles away

Wind City Moon Restaurant

Zhubei City, Taiwan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Taoyuan

Taoyuan

Taiwan

Places 2

Nearby Places

Mausoleum of Chiang Kai-shek

Taoyuan, Taiwan

miles away

Hunglodei Nanshan Fude Temple

Taipei, Taiwan

miles away

Wind City Moon Restaurant

Zhubei City, Taiwan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Taoyuan

Taoyuan

Taiwan

Places 2

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