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
You can book a tour to Cihu on KKday here. 

Hours: 9 AM - 4:45 PM 

Tours:
You can book a tour to Cihu on KKday here. 

Hotels in Taoyuan:
We have stayed at and recommend the Yuanshan Grand Hotel, once the tallest building in Taiwan and still the most grand (book on Booking.com here, Tripadvisor here, or Agoda here). 
We have stayed at and also recommend Fu Chang Hotel in Ximending, which is within walking distance of Ximending shopping district (book on Booking.com here, Tripadvisor here, or Agoda here).
Looking for a hotel? We recommend booking through Booking.com here, which provides the best quality selection of accommodation in Taiwan.
Find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here.
 
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. 
Looking for scooter rental in Taipei? You can search on Klook here or KKday here to search for options. You can also check out our scooter rental guide here. 
If you are looking for car rentals, you can also search Qeeq here, Klook here, or  KKday here. You can also check out our car rental guide here.  
By Bus: From Taoyuan, take bus No. 116 or No. 7. You can also book tickets to travel via inter-city bus on Klook here. You can also book a Taipei Sightseeing: Hop On, Hop Off Open Top Bus on TripAdvisor here. 
By Bicycle: Cycling is the best way to enjoy Taiwan's landscapes if you have the time and energy. Looking for bicycle rentals in Taiwan? You can use Taiwan's many Youbike sharing stations, or search for rentals on KKday here, and search for tours on Klook here. You can also check out our Taiwan cycling guide here. â€‹You can also book a Sunset Riverside Bike Ride and Historical Tour, 4 Hour Cycling in Taipei, Ultimate 8-Hour Cycling City Tour, or Taipei City Bike Tour with Night Market Experience on TripAdvisor here. 
For more information, check out our Taiwan transportation guide here. ​

Map:
Please see below.

Being an American Expat abroad can be a scary prospect when it comes to taxes. Worldwide banks have implemented FACTA reporting which means that big brother knows how much money you have overseas for accounts you opened using your American passport. Also, the USA is one of the few countries that exercises a worldwide tax system. 

But don’t let those things get you down! The overseas exemption is pretty high (102,000 USD as of 2017) and if you make more than that you should be investing some money into to a professional to do your taxes for you anyway. If you are making lower than that, filing your taxes is easy!
Also there is the foreign income tax credit and the additional child tax credit which can help to cancel out any tax payable. 
 
You may try to file taxes online using Turbo Tax or something similar, but once you declare you have an overseas bank account, you will run yourself into trouble. The tax software will only be able to process this if you pay an extra $50 or something for the “professional version.” Who wants to pay $50 on a tax form that you are declaring nothing on, right?
 
The simple and free solution is to send in your tax form via pencil and paper. The government has made this relatively simple for us foreigners abroad. And they give us an extra 3 months to file! Below is a rough guide on completing your taxes via pencil and paper from overseas.

Deadlines:

The expat deadline for filing taxes from overseas is automatically moved back to June 15th of the following year. But you can use form 4868 to extend the filing date to October 15.
 
Paper and Pencil Tax Filing Guide

Disclaimer: I am not a professional in US tax. Below is simple a guide that follows the tax instructions given by the IRS. If you have complex overseas tax issues, I would suggest you seek professional advice. If you file yourself, you need to read the IRS instructions carefully and make sure you do not misreport anything. I cannot take responsibility for any tax misfiling on your part..
 
With that in mind, I am going to assume that you are:

• Single or have a foreign spouse with no US children.
• You own an overseas bank account
• You make less than the equivalent of 102,100 USD a year
• You don’t have any US income to declare

If you do have children, then I do not recommend claiming for foreign income tax exclusion. You should file form 1116 foreign income tax credit and schedule 8812 the additional child tax credit. In most circumstances with children you will be receiving a tax refund without any tax payable. 

I will walk you through the following 6 steps:

1. Fill Out Schedule B of Form 1040
2. Start filling out Form 1040
3. Fill out Form 2555 – EZ
4. Fill out Form 8965
5. Finish Form 1040
6. Correct Mistakes With Form 1040X

Bonus steps if you will not use the foreign income exclusion:
1. Fill out form 1116
2. Fill out schedule 8812
3. Fill out schedule 3
 
Step 1: Fill Out Schedule B of Form 1040

Yes, before you even start on Form 1040, you need to begin with Schedule B of Form 1040. This is because you have a foreign bank account; you must declare it as well as other foreign assets. Because of FACTA, the US has forced banks worldwide to share the account information of American citizens. Big brother knows, so you might as well declare. 
Click here for Schedule B instructions and here for the Schedule B itself. Be sure to print it out and read the instructions carefully.