Chiang Kai-Shek Shilin Residence — Attraction in Taipei

If you are into gardens and museums, allocate at least 4 hours to explore the place!

We arrived mid-morning and overwhelmed but the lovely garden landscape, it's amazing they have this free flower park attraction in Taipei! We got so distracted and took one too many pictures so when we were ready to enter the paid attraction, the residence, we were being encouraged to enter the house right away as it was newly lunch time.

We were a curious and history-amused bunch that we enjoyed the timeline literature right at the entrance. Only with more convincing from the staff did we enter the main residence hall, with mere 10-mins to lunch break closing time. We didn't get to finish seeing the entire features of the residence museum since they went to lunch break but we were told we can have our wrists stamped and return when the museum reopens for the afternoon.

Unfortunately, we had a packed agenda for the rest of the day so we had to leave and regretted spending so much time at the garden when that was open for...

Intersting historical site, entry fee is normally NTD 100. Nothing luxurious or shocking, but you can get a glimpse of the daily life of the former leader of the KMT / ROC. Audioguides are available in multiple languages. Visitors are not allowed to take pictures inside the house.

The only disturbing thing that despite the widespread and well-known historical evidences, the information displayed (both in Chinese and English) deliberately avoid "sensitive" events led by Chiang Kai-shek (i.e. White Terror) and certain failures of the ROC (i.e. it's amazing to see the original aerial pictures of a nuclear facility in Lanzhou taken by an U-2C, but the information doesn't mention that these aircrafts had been shot down by communists numerous times). I think these minor details matter a lot and could have helped people to have a better understanding of Chiang's legacy, instead of trying to create some sort of "cult of...

The Chiang Kai-Shek Shilin Residence is definitely a great place to go, especially for those who are interested in the legacy of the Chiangs. Otherwise, the park is still worth visiting. The rose garden and giant botanical sculptures are eye-catching. Just make sure to wear long pants or use a mosquito repellent. The two pavilions that house hundreds of orchids and indoor plants are breath-taking. Everything is free of charge except for the entrance to the Residence (NT$100/adult). Tickets are sold at the ticket booth near the gate of the Residence. Photos are not allowed inside the Residence. All the furnitures are original. Notice the Residence is closed during the break time from...