First-time in Taiwan’s Martyr’s Shrine

It was late in the afternoon when we got to the Martyr’s Shrine. It was easy to locate it. From the MRT Dazhi Station, we crossed the intersection towards the bus station to get the buses heading to our left. The bus station posted a list of bus numbers and their route. We chose I13 as it was the earliest to arrive. Yes, their bus station reveals the time of arrival of the buses plying that route.

When we went off at the bus stop near the shrine, the Grand Hotel, which is approximately a five-minute walk, loomed at the distance. The hotel is built in typical Chinese architecture.

We walked a few meters from the bus stop to the entrance of the Shrine. An impressive paifang, or Chinese arch, stood at the front, with beautiful artworks all over it. There were three arches, which provided us with a view of the entrance building of the Martyr’s Shrine from afar and the mountains adding a serene backdrop to the whole picture.

While I was taking photos of the arch, a guard was placing some removable bollards in front of me and directed me to enter by the side entrance. A portion of the open area was cordoned off and visitors arriving flocked outside the cordoned area.

There I realize that they were preparing for the ceremonial changing of the guards. We excitedly flanked the length of the crowd and waited for the guards to emerge. A shout came from the side of the gate, signaling that the ceremony was about to begin.

We watched as five guards marched the whole length of the open area, their feet aligned at the brown line on the ground that seem to have been a result of friction from metal and the paved stone. We followed as the guards continued their march to the entrance building.

Upon reaching the main hall of the shrine, they made various exhibitions with their bayonets. It was captivating to watch them did all of these, which lasted for about 30 minutes in total until the old set of guards marched back to the arch.

The Martyr’s Shrine was built in 1969 for the 390,000 soldiers who offered their lives defending their country during the Chinese Civil War, Sino-Japanese War, and other engagements like revolutions and crises. The location was at the Chingshan Mountain overlooking the Keelung River in the Zhongshan District. The architecture of the Martyr’s Shrine was inspired by the Hall of Supreme Harmony of the Forbidden City in Beijing.

The Martyr’s Shrine is located at 138 Beian Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City. For more photos of our visit at the Martyr’s Shrine, see my Facebook page album.