The Chiang Kai-shek Shilin Residence is where Chiang Kai-shek lived for a majority of his time in Taiwan. He lived in the house from 1950 to when he died in 1975. The house and the surrounding property was opened to the public in 1996, underwent restoration in 2006, and reopened to the public again in 2009. During the time Chiang lived in this house, it saw several important political figures, such as US President Nixon, whom Chiang was close with. It features several large gardens for tourists to walk through for free.
To enter the residence, you will need to buy a ticket at the booth for NTD $100. With a valid ID, you can rent a device with an audio guide that explains the purpose and significance of each of the rooms inside the house, although most rooms contain plaques in Chinese and English that also further explain their contents. Following the audio guide and the plaques, the team took approximately 45 minutes to tour the house, and visitors should roughly take this long as well.
The Shilin Residence contains artwork, treasures, literature, and furniture relating to Chiang Kai-shek and his wife, Soong Mei-ling. As a result of this being his residence, the information given about Chiang has to do with his personal life, rather than his political work. For example, you can walk through his bedroom, and the corresponding plaques describe his daily routine and his hobbies. Perhaps being a consequence of focusing on his personal life, the residence paints Chiang in an overwhelmingly positive light. The residence never mentioned Chiang’s controversial acts and instead focused on light-hearted comments, such as his wife’s paintings, his Christianity, and the ornate furniture he possessed. Those who follow our route will humanize Chiang more after visiting his residence, and will hopefully see a more complete picture of Chiang’s personal life.
Our Thoughts
The Shilin Residence is an interesting place to visit. Although it is a big house, it's not necessarily what you would expect out of a national leader. The information presented in the house was very positive towards Chiang Kai-shek, which might give a skewed impression of who he is. The many gardens outside of the house are definitely worth walking through.
