Zhongzheng (中正) — a name adopted by Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) — was the most common name for elementary and junior-high schools in Taiwan in 2022, a survey conducted by the Ministry of Education found.
Eighteen Zhongzheng elementary schools operate nationwide, including two each in Taichung and Kaohsiung, while seven junior-high schools are named Zhongzheng, the survey found.
About 14,000 students, 1.23 percent, attend a Zhongzheng elementary school and 6,143 students go to Zhongzheng junior-high schools, it showed.
Photo: Rachel Lin, Taipei Times
The oldest Zhongzheng elementary school, founded in 1898, is in Pingtung City, while a New Taipei City school has the most students: 1,704 students in 66 classes.
Zhongzheng elementary schools can be found in all six special municipalities and in Kinmen and Lienchiang counties.
The second most common name for elementary schools in Taiwan is Zhongshan (中山), which is used by 16 schools that have more than 13,000 students, it said.
Zhongshan is associated with Republic of China founder Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙), who is also known as Sun Zhongshan (孫中山).
Taipei has two Zhongshan elementary schools — the Municipal Zhongshan Elementary School in Zhongshan District and Taipei Private Zhongshan Elementary School in Wenshan District (文山).
Sixteen elementary schools are named Chenggong (成功), 15 Datong (大同) and 14 Xinyi (信義), the survey showed.
As for junior-high schools, six are named Zhongshan, five Zhongxiao (忠孝), four Sanmin (三民) and four Chenggong, it showed.
Secondary and Elementary Principals’ Association president Chang Hsin-wu (張信務) said that the names Zhongzheng and Zhongshan might be rooted in history, as many cities and counties have roads with these two names.
Schools are usually named based on their location or suggestions of residents, while some are named after people who donated land or funds for the school’s construction, Chang said, citing Rongfu Elementary School in New Taipei City’s Sinjhuang District (新莊), named after donor Chou Rong-fu (周榮富).
Elementary schools founded during the Japanese colonial period usually used area names for their schools, National Federation of Teachers Unions president Hou Chun-liang (侯俊良) said.
Some schools have changed names due to shifting political and cultural sentiment in the past few years, local education department officials said.
For example, Daguan (達觀) Elementary School and Boai (博愛) Elementary School changed their names to Puma and Tbulan respectively, to promote indigenous culture and identity, Taichung City Education Department Commissioner Chiang Wei-min (蔣偉民) said.
Jianmin (健民) Elementary School changed its name to Zhuzikeng (竹仔坑) Elementary School last year, restoring the old place name to preserve cultural identity, he said.
New Taipei City Education Department Commissioner Chang Ming-wen (張明文) said that name changes could also be the result of the adoption of experimental curriculums, such as Jhongshan Elementary School changing its name to Jhongshan Experimental Elementary School.
School names are a source of identity for alumni and local communities and also represent the history and development of the school, he said.
Tainan City Education Department Commissioner Cheng Hsin-hui (鄭新輝) said that some elementary schools in the city changed their names to restore their previous names, which came from the location’s name.
For example, Henan (河南) Elementary School changed to Ditougang (?頭港) Elementary School, Donghe (東河) Elementary School became Kabuasua (吉貝耍) Elementary School and Khaupi (口埤) Experimental Elementary School changed the second character in its name to pi (碑).
Some school names no longer exist after merging due to a declining birthrate, Kaohsiung City Education Department Commissioner Hsieh Wen-pin (謝文斌) said.
While schools, parents and communities are reluctant to see original school names disappear, they agree that students’ learning and growth are more important than the school’s name.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
RSS