The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂) is the big white monument in the middle of Taipei, with a blue roof, wide stairs and a huge plaza flanked by two palace-style theaters. It was completed in 1980 to commemorate Chiang Kai-shek, the Republic of China's president, who died in 1975. Inside the main hall a 6.3-meter bronze statue of Chiang looks out over the square.
- Hours Main hall 09:00 to 18:00 daily. The park around it is open 05:00 to 24:00
- Closed Lunar New Year's Eve, Lunar New Year's Day and 28 February (Peace Memorial Day), plus maintenance days and natural disaster days
- Address No. 21, Zhongshan S. Rd., Zhongzheng District
- MRT Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station (Red Line R08, Green Line G10); Dongmen Station (Red Line R07, Orange Line O06)
The honor guard
The military honor guard performs a ceremonial patrol and drill every hour on the hour from 09:00 to 17:00: nine times a day, each about 15 minutes. It takes place outside, on Democracy Boulevard at the foot of the main hall's stairs, not beside the statue indoors, and it is cancelled when it rains.
Good to know: older guides describe a changing of the guard inside the hall. Go by the hall's own visitor page, which lists the outdoor drill above, and arrive a few minutes early for a spot near the stairs.
The plaza, the theaters and the history
Work began in 1976, a year after Chiang's death, to a design by the architect C.C. Yang. The blue and white echo the colors of the national flag. The plaza out front has been the stage for many of Taiwan's democratic gatherings, and since 2007 its main gate has carried the words Liberty Square (自由廣場).
On either side of the plaza stand the National Theater and National Concert Hall, opened in 1987 in a traditional palace style with yellow tiled roofs and red columns. They are among Taipei's main stages for music, dance and theater. → Shows at the National Theater and Concert Hall
Inside the hall there are rotating exhibitions; the permanent exhibition "Flowers of Freedom" is free to enter.
Getting there
From Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station, Exits 3 and 5 are each about an 8 to 9-minute walk from the hall. Dongmen Station Exit 3 is about 8 minutes away, handy if you are coming from Yongkang Street.
→ Da'an and Yongkang Street · Performing arts · Things to do
Sources
Hours, closed days, honor guard times and place, statue, completion date and the free permanent exhibition from the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall visitor information and home page; MRT walking times from its transportation page. Construction and architect from Taipei Travel, and the National Theater and Concert Hall from Taipei Travel. The Liberty Square plaque from the Ministry of Culture. Checked October 2026.