The main hall of late President Chiang Kai-shek’s Shihlin Official Residence will open to visitors next January as part of ROC centennial celebrations, the Taipei City government announced Dec. 7.
It will be the third building in the residence with public access, following the opening in 1996 of the Kaiketang Church, where the Chiang family worshipped, and Tzuyunting, a pavilion built in memory of Chiang’s mother.
The two-story main hall holds a collection of 5,000 books and cultural artifacts. The first floor has a dining room, a small living room where Chiang and Madame Chiang liked to watch movies, and a large living room for receiving guests, while bedrooms, guest rooms, a study and Madame Chiang’s art studio are located on the second floor.
“Only the first floor will be open, as the second floor is narrow and cluttered, making it difficult to plan a visitor route,” government officials said.
Chiang and Madame Chiang lived in the residence from March 1950 till Chiang passed away in April 1975. “The hall preserves a record of the first family’s daily life, and played an important role in ROC history,” the officials noted.
The main hall was renovated by the Presidential Office at a cost of NT$116 million (US$3.85 million), and transferred to the Taipei City government in October this year. It will open to the public Jan. 2. (THN)
Write to Grace Kuo at morningk@mail.gio.gov.tw