The Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall is a monument to the founder of the Republic of China — a massive Chinese palace-style building in the Xinyi District that houses a 5.8-metre bronze statue of Sun Yat-sen, exhibition galleries on the history of the ROC, and the changing of the guard ceremony that draws crowds every hour on the hour.
The building, completed in 1972 and designed by Wang Da-hong (one of Taiwan's most important modernist architects), combines Chinese palace architecture (the swooping roof, the red columns, the ceremonial proportions) with modernist construction (reinforced concrete, large spans, the geometric simplicity that distinguishes the building from traditional Chinese palace buildings). The surrounding park — 11.5 hectares of lawns, flower gardens, and the Chinese-style garden on the building's north side — provides green space in the heart of the Xinyi District.
The memorial's most popular feature for visitors is not the statue but the framing — the view from the memorial's front steps across the park to Taipei 101 rising behind is one of the city's classic photographic compositions. The hourly changing of the guard ceremony (similar to the one at CKS Memorial Hall but less crowded) provides the military precision that ROC ceremonial culture values, performed with the same white-gloved exactitude whether the audience is 500 tourists or five.
Verified Facts
The memorial was completed in 1972
The bronze statue of Sun Yat-sen is 5.8 metres tall
The building was designed by architect Wang Da-hong
The surrounding park covers 11.5 hectares
Get walking directions
No. 505, Section 4, Renai Road, Xinyi District, Taipei
