We on an exciting outing to the something-shan-shek memorial, where they are having a candy exhibit at the moment. Was a long-ish MRT ride, but the little girl entertained us and the other passengers with cuteness.
She is starting to bond and become more comfortable with Anny now, so that's been great!
I don't know all the history/significance - I'd planned to look it up and post, but am feeling a bit lazy.
Ok, ok, here it is:
The Memorial Hall is white with four sides. The octagonal roof rises 76 metres (249 ft) above the ground and is covered with blue
glazed tiles. The blue and white colors of the building and the red colour of the flowerbeds echo the colours in the
flag of the Republic of China. The octagonal shape picks up the symbolism of the number 8, a number traditionally associated in Asia with abundance and good fortune.
Two sets of white stairs, each with 89 steps to represent Chiang's age at the time of his death, lead to the main entrance. The main entrance features a pair of double doors, each standing 16 meters high and weighing 75 tons, that open into the main hall. A large bronze
statue of
Chiang Kai-shekdominates the main hall. The figure is shown smiling, seated and wearing traditional Chinese dress. Inscribed on the wall above and behind the seated figure are the Chinese characters for
Ethics,
Democracy, and
Science.
Inscriptions on the side walls read
The purpose of life is to improve the general life of humanity and
The meaning of life is to create and sustain subsequent lives in the universe. An elaborate
caisson is set into the
ceiling, decorated with the
emblem of the
Kuomintang (KMT). Representatives of the armed forces guard the main hall during its open hours. (The branch of service represented changes periodically according to a rotating schedule.) The changing of the guards take place every hour, attracting many visitors.
The ground level of the memorial houses a library and museum documenting Chiang Kai-shek's life and career and exhibits related to Republic of China-era Chinese history, and Taiwan's history and development.
The square became Taipei's site of choice for mass gatherings as soon as it opened. The nature of many of those gatherings gave the site new public meanings.
The hall and square became the hub of events in the 1980s and early 1990s that ushered Taiwan into its era of modern
democracy. Of the many pro-democracy demonstrations that took place at the square, the most influential were the rallies of the
Wild Lily student movement of 1990. The movement provided the impetus for the far-reaching political reforms of President
Lee Teng-hui. These culminated in the first popular elections of national leaders in 1996. In June 1989, just before the Communist government cracked down on the
1989 Tiananmen Square protests, an overnight vigil was held on the square in solidarity with the pro-democracy protesters in
Beijing.
The site's importance in the development of Taiwan's
democracy led to the plaza's dedication as
Liberty Square (自由廣場) by President
Chen Shui-bian in 2007.
[1] Memorial Hall was also renamed in a dedication to democracy. The announcement of the new names were greeted with
hostility by Kuomintang officials. The original dedication to Chiang was subsequently restored to the hall, while the name Liberty Square has been affirmed by officials on both sides of the political aisle.
[2]
The Chinese inscription now over the main gate that declares the plaza as "Liberty Square" ("自由廣場") recalls the calligraphic style of
Wang Xizhi in the
East Jin Dynasty (see
Chinese calligraphy). The style is noted for its sense of vitality, movement and freedom. The
characters are placed in left-to-right sequence, following modern practice in Taiwan, rather than the right-to-left order of ancient Chinese tradition, which had been adopted at the site previously.
[3]
But the reason we came was for the candy....
Hudson was really excited (and so was mommy!). Was pretty cool - every candy you ever knew or didn't know existed made into all sorts of interesting things. Here is a close up from the above gumball machines - these are gummy bears!
There was a whole "art gallery" with famous paintings depicted in jelly beans and the like.
And then an around-the-world tour of famous landmarks.
A circus..
Girl slept through most of it, and woke up disoriented!
There was a magical mini-willy-wonka-style land at the end.
Hudson had a great time running around
After various attempts at a picture of him in front of the castle, this was the best I could do..
These pics are all out of order and my screen is too small to edit easily...sorry.
(Monday moms group)
Girls, girls, girls!
We actually met up with a bunch of other moms and went out for lunch - which was completely wild, with 8 kids under 3!!!! (And hudson the only boy!) Didn't think to take pics....
Then afterwards, we watched the changing of the guard.
They remain uber serious - they don't even blink!!
The no blinking thing freaked me out. I stared at this guy for a long time willing him to blink. No even once. I did catch a swallow... but otherwise, nothing. I could never stand still like that. I wonder if they go numb and lose all feeling in their limbs. Too freaky!
Girl and I headed home and left the carrier with Anny. Hudson often asks to be carrier when he has walked a lot and is tired, so thought it might be a bit better...
Overall a fun day!
