Getting to Liberty Square

In my time in Taipei I came across Liberty Square numerous times as it is an absolutely huge chunk of land.  I read in the Taipei Lonely Planet Guide that Liberty Square and Chiang Kai-shek memorial hall also go by other names as well due to politics which I have no idea of so I won’t mention it any further.  If you mention CHiang Kai-shek to most cab drivers or people I would be willing to bet they would take you to Liberty Square.

The area of Liberty square takes up 240,000 square meters (2,583,338.5 square feet) of space of the Zhongzheng District in what seemed to be central Taipei.  I passed by it a couple times in a taxi but I was either on the way somewhere or just didn’t have the guts to try to speak to the Chinese speaking driver.

My second morning in Taipei I decided to try the subway system to find Liberty Square and the Chiang Kai-shek memorial hall.  There is a subway stop right next to Liberty Square which made it easy once I figured out the name of the stop.  I cannot remember the name as of now, but it will be on any tourist map so don’t fret.

When you arrive at Liberty Square you will see 3 giant temples.  It turns out that the 2 big red ones are the National Theater and Concert hall while the blue one is the Chiang Kai-shek memorial hall.  I have read that everything from hip-hop concerts to band practice goes on in the square but there was some sort of school function going on the day I was there.  You can see the size of the National Theater and Concert hall by comparing the ant sized people in the photograph below.

Liberty Square from the Steps of the Chiang Kai-shek Temple: See the National Concert Hall & Theatre

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

It is my understanding that Chiang Kai-shek was a former president of China who fled to Taiwan after the communists took over.  Not all people in Taipei hold him in such high regard but that is beyond the scope of my research and this blog.  Regardless of his legacy Chiang Kai-shek has this memorial hall is the blue temple you see on the photo at the top of the screen.

It takes several sets of steps to get to the top of the temple where the statue of Chiang Kai-shek sits.  Two elaborately dressed armed guards on either side of the statue of the smiling Chiang Kai-shek.  At the entrance to the room you can look out and see (above photo) the entire liberty Square along with the National Concert Hall & Theatre.

Chiang Kai-shek

Changing of the Guard

The impressively dressed guards, complete with shiny helmet and bayoneted rifle on either side of the Chiang Kai-shek statue at all times.  The Taipei Lonely Planet mentioned the changing of the guard which happens maybe once a day.  Evidently the guards do a ceremony at the top of the temple and the march all the way down to the bottom.  At the bottom of the temple is various gift shops and other shops and the guard quarters.

I was both lucky and unlucky in this instance.  I got there at the right time as the guards were marching towards their quarters but as a new DSLR user I was fiddling around with the camera settings and missed the shot!  How embarrasing!  I try to get a good shot most of the time but I will post a near-miss this time.

Missed Shot of Marching Soldiers after Changing of the Guard

Overall Impression

Liberty Square and the Chiang Kai-shek memorial temple is worth a visit for anyone who finds themselves in Taipei.  Being centrally located, culturally significant and free there is no reason to miss this tourism opportunity in Taipei.   I can see most would be satisfied spending no more time than an hour or 2 at Liberty Square if there are no events going on in the square.

If you do go to Taipei, you definitely want to check an event calendar so you can see if there is anything special such as a concert going on in Liberty Square.  It may be obvious but if you are interested in theater and concerts going on in the National Theater and Concert Halls it is best you book in advance.

Leaving Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall