Martyr's Shrine
Being there
temple memorializing those who gave their lives for the Republic of China (ROC) during its tenure on mainland China and it's later existence on Taiwan. A changing of the guard ceremony is performed at the top of the hour where a military honor guard performs an impressive series of gun twirling and tossing in front of astounded tourists. To get to the shrine take the MRT to the Jiantan Station, then take the Red 3 bus from the same side of the street the rest of the way, get off at the third stop.
The story
The National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrine (Chinese: 國民革命忠烈祠; pinyin: Guómín Gémìng Zhōngliècí) is a Martyrs Shrine in Zhongshan District, Taipei, Taiwan, dedicated to the war dead of the Republic of China.
Built on Chingshan Mountain and overseeing the Keelung River in Taipei's Zhongshan District in 1969, the Martyrs' Shrine recalls the architecture of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in Beijing's Forbidden City. The structure houses the spirit tablets of about 390,000 persons killed, among other engagements, during the Xinhai Revolution, Northern Expedition, Second Sino-Japanese War, Chinese Civil War, and the First and Second Taiwan Strait Crises. A changing of the honor guard from the various branches of the Republic of China Military, similar to the rituals at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, take place at the shrine.
The Martyrs' Shrine was the site of the funeral of Chiang Ching-kuo in 1988. On March 29 (Youth Day, commemorating the Huanghuagang Uprising) and September 3 (Armed Forces Day) of every year the President of the Republic of China leads the heads of the five Yuans (branches of government) to pay their respects to the martyrs by bowing and offering incense. Similar shrines are located in each locality in Taiwan, and similar ceremonies are led by county magistrates and city mayors.
Although the Martyrs' Shrine is located in Taiwan, most of the soldiers were born in mainland China. Taiwan was ruled by Japan throughout World War II, and about 200,000 Taiwanese who lived under Japanese rule served in the Japanese Imperial Army or Navy.
