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Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall: An Absolute Must-See Landmark in Taipei
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipai, Taiwan is a national monument and is a must visit attraction during any trip to Taiwan.
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall History
The Memorial was built as tribute to Chiang Kai-Shek who was a well-known president of Taiwan that passed away in 1975. Construction started on the memorial in 1976 and was completed and opened to the public in 1980.
The sprawling park is a total of 240,000 square meters and is really a wide space. The memorial includes historical exhibits that details the history of Chiang Kai-shek. The monument is surrounded by a large park, with ponds, gardens, and the Memorial Hall Square. The National Concert Hall and National Theater are located on the left and right sides of the Memorial Hall, as well.
On the west side of the memorial is the Gate of Great Centrality and Perfect Uprightness, a huge main gate to the memorial which will lead guests to the Memorial Hall Square and directly to the main Memorial.
A view looking out from the main memorial. You can see the National Concert Hall, National Theater, and main gate in the distance Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall And Grounds
The centerpiece of the memorial is the memorial hall. All white with an octagonal blue roof, the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall really stands out. It’s quite a striking structure. If you enter through the main gate, you’ll walk through the Memorial Hall Square and the wide pathway which will lead you to to hall. It’s a nice walk as you stroll past the National Concert Hall and National Theater and the immaculate gardens as you approach.
Once you get to the foot of the hall, you must walk up 89 steps, which represents the age of Chiang Kai-shek at his death. The steps lead you to the hall entrance. Within the hall is the 21 ft bronze statue of Chiang Kai-shek. It was here (the location has changed recently) that the changing of the guard took place. The ceremony is an impressive display to behold with how meticulous every movement by the guards is mirrored and synched perfectly to one another. It was definitely very cool to witness.
The gardens are very well kept and the area is quite nice to walk around and enjoy either in the walk up to the hall or just walking around the area after you’ve visited the hall.
If you’re a history buff a trip to the memorial’s exhibit area is a must. This area details the life and career of Chiang Kai-shek while also detailing the history of Taiwan and its development. It’s fascinating to walk through and take in. I didn’t have any knowledge of Chiang Kai-shek and what he meant to Taiwan so it was interesting to get some insight to his accomplishments.
Within the memorial there’s also a couple of places to eat and grab drinks and also some gift / souvenir shops to check out as well.
Is Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Worth Visiting?
The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is absolutely worth a visit. It’s one of the premier attractions in all of Taiwan and cetainly Taipai. The memorial hall groundls, with the tranquilty of the gardens and the beauty of the architecture of National Concert Hall and National Theater, is a treat to walk through. The exhibit halls are interesting to walk through to learn some historical tid bits of Chiang Kai-shek and Taiwan.
You can easily spend two to four hours walking around the area to soak everything in. It’s definitely worth the time and will be a very enjoyable experience!
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How Good Is Taiwan’s Famous Fried Chicken Master Chain?
For my trip to Taiwan, one of the foods I was really looking forward to was their fried chicken. It’s extremely popular in Taiwan, especially at night markets. I got into Taipai late at night and found Fried Chicken Master right across the street from the place I was staying at. What better way to kick off the trip then by grabbing some food at a popular national chain?
Fried Chicken Master is a national fried chicken franchise which was founded in Taiwan. It has expanded to 110 locations globally and can now be found in countries such as Canada, Malaysia, and Jakarta.
Fried Chicken Master specializes in Halal Fried Chicken, which I’ve never seen from any major fried chicken chain in the world up to this point. You’ll find the normal fried chicken options on the menu: wings, popcorn chicken, breast, thigh, but with the Taiwanese fried chicken spin on it.
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How Is Tawainese Fried Chicken Different?
Taiwanese fried chicken has its own distinctive flavor and texture as one might imagine. The batter and coating which often uses sweet potato starch and tapioca flour, gives Taiwanese fried chicken a distinct crunch. After the chicken is deep fried it can get sprinkled with a bevy of different seasonings from salt, pepper, chili powder, and other Chinese spices.
The huge flattened cutlets, which are a staple on any menu that’s serving fried chicken, are definitely unique as well. These are huge slabs of chicken and come wrapped in a plastic sheet, piping hot. For myself that’s the picture that was engrained in my head when it comes to fried chicken in Taiwan and is what I had to get (and got often) when I visited Taiwan.
Fried Chicken Master Experience
With ample combo meals to choose from and several a la carte options, I was looking forward to getting this after I had checked into my room. It may have also been the fact that I was absolutely starving too lol.
I went with the #2 Fried Chicken Breast meal (129 NTD, $4.02 USD). This included french fries and choice of drink, so I went with an iced black tea. They had a choice of seasonings that you could choose and I went with the Taiwanese salt and pepper.
The Food Experience
Seeing photos of these flattened chicken breasts is one thing, but to actually hold it in my hands was another. It’s a huge piece of chicken. Like ridiculously so. It was heavily seasoned as well. A little too much for my liking. The exterior was very crunchy and the meat was tender and juicy in some parts. Other parts seemed a little tough and even a little under cooked. So overall it was pretty uneven. It put a smile on my face one bite and then had me frowing the next.
The seasoning was quite sweet overall too. I wasn’t expecting that flavor from Taiwanese salt and pepper. I’m pretty particular when it comes to sweet and savory on things like chicken and then tilted towards being too sweet for my liking.
The fries were decent, but nothing overly special or memorable. I’d never gotten a cold black tea before but it was quite good. Black tea is immensely popular in Taiwan and can be found everywhere. This cold black tea reminded of me a sweetened ice tea essentially.
Is Fried Chicken Master Worth A Visit?
If you’re in a pinch and in need of something cheap and fast and on the go, then sure, it’s worth stopping by and giving it a try. It by no means was horrible, but it wasn’t anything special in my books either. There’s a million of other places that sell fried chicken too so this isn’t the only option in town. I may have just ordered the wrong thing though and there may be a more popular item(s) on the menu, so I’d be willing to give it a go again.
