After hanging over the entrance of the Presidential Office since 1948, a sign criticized as a relic of authoritarianism was replaced yesterday by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration, officially changing the office's name.
The name of the Presidential Office was "Chiehshou Hall" -- literally "Long live Kai-shek Hall" -- and the building had a marble sign with its name inscribed in Chinese characters (
The new sign, installed yesterday, reads simply "Presidential Office" in Chinese characters (
A statement by the Presidential Office said the move reflected not only the real sense of the building's name but also had constitutional meaning.
The marble sign reading "Chiehshou Hall" will be placed in the Academia Historica for public display, said a statement issued by the Presidential Office's Department of Public Affairs yesterday.
The department said the move was appropriate, because the building is where the president and vice president work, rather than a specific individual's personal villa or hall.
"Changing the name over the building's entrance from `Chieh-shou Hall' to `Presidential Office' not only makes the building worthy of its genuine name, but also carries constitutional meaning," the statement said.
colonial past
The Presidential Office's history stretches back to the Japanese colonial era. It was designed by the architect Uheiji Nagano in 1910, and was completed in 1919. The building, which was the office of the Japanese governor-general of Taiwan, was bombed by Allied forces during World War II, on May 31, 1945. Part of the building was destroyed in the bomb attack, and burned for three days.
One year after the war ended, the Taiwan Provincial Government raised funds to restore the building. The rehabilitation project was completed in 1948, and the building was named "Chiehshou Hall."
When the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) was defeated by the Chinese Communist Party during the Civil War, the remnants of its forces fled to Taiwan in 1949. The building became the office of the president and the premier in 1950. The office of the premier was later moved out of the building, in 1957.
The department said that as Taiwan has transformed from an authoritarian state to a genuine democracy, the name change was necessary and symbolized the restoration of power from the state to the people.
The department said that it began planning the change in October.
The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucus yesterday said the name change "liberates Taiwan's democracy."
"Naming all the important buildings after Chiang Kai-shek (
`boring' move
However, opposition lawmakers criticized the Presidential Office, saying the move was "boring" and meaningless. Some equated the change to China's Cultural Revolution.
"Taiwan's 23 million people should be the focus of the government. Unfortunately, our government only cares about something like this. Changing names? I think there are a lot of better things to do, aren't there?" said Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Pan Wei-kang (
People First Party (PFP) Legislator Lee Hung-chun (
"If [the DPP government] wants to do something remarkable, I would suggest it focus on economic and criminal issues, because these issues concern everyone of us," Lee said.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus said the Presidential Office was merely doing something that needed to be done.
"What do you want to call the president's office if you do not call it the `Presidential Office?'" said DPP legislative caucus secretary-general Yeh Yi-ching (
The change should have "been made a long time ago, anyway," Yeh added.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
RSS