Cihu 慈湖

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Cihu Lake (aka Cihu Mausoleum 慈湖陵寝, or Mausoleum of Late President Chiang) in Daxi District of Taoyuan is one of the most interesting parks in Taiwan. Much of the park is full of statues of a former dictator, Chiang Kai-shek. Also, Chiang Kai-shek's former residence and his mausoleum are on the site. It is definitely a unique place worth visiting. 
 
People often don’t realize that Taoyuan has a lot to offer to tourists. Many of the places here aren’t represented as well in English as other sites in Taipei, which is why we want to help everyone realize what a great place it is. 

Historical Background:
Chiang Kai-shek's residence at Cihu lake was built in 1975, and it was known as his favorite residence because it reminded him of his home town in Fenghua, Zhejiang, China. When Mr. Chiang died, he requested that his body be kept in a sarcophagus at Cihu until Taiwan took back the Chinese mainland, at which time he could be buried again in his home town. 
The area around the lake was controlled by the ROC army until 2007, when it was transferred to the Taoyuan City Government. The area was closed briefly in 2008 and then, at which time many statues of the former dictator were moved to a park nearby, under the direction of DPP president Chen Shui-bian. Later the park was reopened when KMT president Ma Ying-jiu won the election in 2008. In 2018 the mausoleum was vandalized with red paint, after which it was closed to the public. 
As of 2017 there were 219 statues in the park, 190 of which are of Chiang Kai-shek, 27 of Sun Yat-sen, and 2 of Chiang Ching-kuo.

Price:
Seeing statues and visitors' center: Free
Back part of Cihu park: 100 NT per person
50 NT for cars

Hours: 9 AM - 4:45 PM 
 
How to Get There:
By Car/Scooter: From Daxi, take provincial highway 7 east until you reach Cihu, it is hard to miss. There is a large paid parking lot near the park. 
By Bus: From Taoyuan, take bus No. 116 or No. 7.

Map:
Please see below.

Our Journey:

I have been to Cihu twice. The first time I cam right at 5 PM so I could not enter the Mausoleum. The second time the mausoleum was closed because of a graffiti attack. Both times were fun though, it is a unique sight in Taiwan. 

​Check out our drone video above for an overview of the area. Please note that droning here is now prohibited and this video and photos were taken before March 2020. 

​Or check out the 360 degree spherical panorama above.

Fancy 50 NT parking stub. There is always plenty of parking here. 

Map of the park. The main parts are the statue park, the visitor's center, the mausoleum, and the lake itself. 

No golfing, fires, or mimes allowed. 

View of the park. 

A forest of statues. 

More statues. 

Statues of Chiang. 

Chiang on a horse.

Canal and bridge. 

See above for more drone photos of the area. 

This plaque says this park helps us face history head on. 

Fruit vendors near the park.

Statues of the Chiangs at the visitor's center. 

Chiang's uniform on display. 

More of the visitor's center. 

From here there is a checkpoint to see the Mausoleum. 

Trail up to the mausoleum. 

No smoking or dogs allowed. 

It is clear that parts of the park are still controlled by the military. 

And some of the trails were off limits for construction. However construction of the back part of the lake was completed in 2020. 

Cihu means Benevolent Lake, and was named after Chiang Kai-shek's mother. 

ROC flags on display. 

Cihu Lake. 

See more photos of the lake in the gallery above. 

Here the road was totally blocked off for some construction. However now that back part of the lake is open to the public, for a cost of 100 NT per person. 

Chiang's former residence. 

Cihu Mausoleum
The house has now elaborate carvings and a marble tomb for Chiang Kai-shek. 

View of the front. 

Honor guards guarding the building. 

View inside. 

Chiang Ching-kuo Memorial Building 蔣經國紀念館

Nearby one can also see the memorial for Chiang Kai-shek's son Chiang Jing-kuo, who was also president of the ROC. 

See above for more photos of the area. 

If you have time, you should also check out Daxi Old Street, the best old street in Taiwan.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more blogs on Taoyuan to come. 

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