Special report | The past

How Taiwan is shaped by its history and identity

Understanding Taiwan requires study of its history

Guards march during the changing ceremony at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, in Taipei, Taiwan, February 12, 2023
A dictatorial founderImage: I-Hwa Cheng

In the centre of Taipei is a sprawling memorial to Chiang Kai-shek, leader of both the KMT and the Republic of China (ROC), which formally moved to Taiwan in 1949. A bronze statue of the general sits atop a white marble tower, gazing towards China and his lost capital of Nanjing. A newcomer to Taiwan might assume it is just a monument to a beloved founding father.

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This article appeared in the Special report section of the print edition under the headline “A people divided”

From the March 11th 2023 edition

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