Jiaobanshan Chiang Kai-shek residence and bunker
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A site of one of the many residences that the former dictator of Taiwan, Chiang Kai-shek, had all over the country. And like a couple of others, this place has been turned into a visitor attraction, with a small exhibition about the former president, his wife and some of their associates. In addition underneath the above-ground bungalow there is a bunker that used to serve as some sort of command centre and which has also been converted for tourism purposes.
More background info: for general background see the separate chapter History of Taiwan.
There’s not all that much I’ve been able to unearth about the history of this particular place. But most importantly: the bungalow you can visit today is not the original residence. That burned down in 1992 after an electrical fault caused a fire.
It was a wooden structure originally built during the Japanese colonial era, allegedly for the then crown prince to the Japanese throne, Hirohito (who went on to become emperor in 1926 and reigned through WWII and up to 1989).
It’s not clear when exactly President Chiang moved in, presumably sometime in the 1950s.
The bunker underneath the residence, intended to serve as a command centre in the event of war, was constructed in 1963. It was converted to its present state and opened to the public in 2016.
The present bungalow housing the exhibition was purpose-built to replace the original residence and serve as an exhibition hall.
Apparently Chiang declared Jioabanshan one of his favourite places to spend time in … but then again he said the same thing about other homes of his too (e.g. the one at Cihu – next to what today is the Chiang Kai-shek statue park).
What there is to see: The first thing of interest on the approach to the site is an old sentry point, now empty (sans guard) but with a work of art atop it, namely a stylized bronze chair. A sign in Chinese and English nearby tries to explain its symbolism in hyperbolic flowery language.
Then you come to the Chiang-related bungalow (though this is not the original residence – see above). Inside are several rooms filled with photos and artefacts of varying relevance to Chiang Kai-shek and his wife.
There are documents and books, personal belongings, amongst which is perhaps the most curious item: a tall straw hat with sunglasses (see photos). But mostly the walls are covered with small and large photos from various phases of the Chiangs’ life, also of meetings with other politicians and foreign visitors, and Chiang Kai-shek’s son Chiang Ching-kuo features too (see history). Also on display are several of Madame Chiang’s ink paintings.
None of the labels come with English translations, so I had to rely on my guide to point out the odd figure on the photos where it wasn’t obvious. It certainly wasn’t required for the most ostentatious of Chiang Kai-shek photos – showing him in an OTT Napoleon-like ceremonial uniform (which I thought made him look a bit like an Asian Rafael Trujillo – see here).
Back outside and past a sign saying “War Preparedness Tunnel” a path and a few flights of stairs lead down to the entrance of the bunker underneath the former residence, deep inside the mountain it sits on.
You enter through a set of steel blast doors and walk along a tunnel and into the main chamber and exit through another tunnel (a total of ca. 100m). The walls are adorned with murals depicting nature, wildlife and, most frequently, military scenes of soldiers marching and waving flags, of aircraft and military vehicles, artillery and missiles being fired. At the heart of the complex is a mock-3D wall painting showing a group of six military commanders hovering around a relief of green mountainous terrain (possibly that of Jiaobanshan itself).
And that is it. Was it worth it? Well, for me it was, as it was easily integrated into my day trip by car with a driver/guide (see below). Whether you’d want to make the considerable effort of coming here independently without a car and guide may be questionable, though.
Location: some 20 miles (32 km) south-west of Taipei, ca. 12 miles (20 km) south of Taoyuan and ca. 6 miles (10 km) south-east of Daxi. Those are distances as the crow flies. By road it is a much longer route due to winding mountain roads.
Google Maps locator: [24.8163, 121.3489]
Access and costs: fairly easy only by car, complicated by public transport; free.
Details: To get there you really need a car. When I visited it was as part of a full day excursion by private car with a driver/guide (arranged for me by a tour company – see Taiwan > practicalities). That took all the hassle out of it, of course. Also part of that day tour were the Chiang Kai-shek statue park, the Daxi tea factory and Daxi itself. As this was arranged as part of a multi-day package I can’t say how much this day trip would have cost as a stand-alone activity.
If you’d want to go by public transport you’d have to invest a disproportionate amount of time and effort. There are a number of more or less convoluted routes. One example that isn’t too crazily complicated: from Taipei Main Station you can get a train to Taoyuan Station (ca. 30 minutes). And then from north of the station (from a stop with the mouthful of a name that is Fuxingzhongzhengluku) catch a bus (e.g. line 5301) to Jiaobanshan Mountain Park (takes about an hour and a half!) and then walk the rest (only a few minutes). Doable, perhaps, but worth the trouble?
Opening times (as far as I could determine; reliable info is scarce here): Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Mondays.
Admission free.
Time required: I spent just under half an hour at this place, but if you’re keen to inspect in detail all the Chiang-related photos on display (and read all the labels if you know Chinese) you might need longer, also if you want to explore the park and surroundings including the suspension bridge over the Dahan River (see below).
Combinations with other dark destinations: in general see under Taiwan, and under Chiang Kai-shek statue park in particular, which is quite near Jiaobanshan. The statue park was also part of the day excursion that had been arranged for me with a driver/guide (see under Taiwan > practicalities) on my last but one day of my 2023/24 trip to the country. The tour finished in Daxi where there was yet another Chiang statue and two bas-reliefs (but these may be slated for removal).
In Jiaobanshan itself there is also a little dark element beyond the Chiang association. The nearby present-day suspension bridge over the Dahan River built in 2018 replaced a previous bridge built in 1922 which collapsed in 1951, killing one and injuring dozens. You can still see the pylons of the fateful bridge not far from the end(s) of the new bridge.
Other former residences of the Chiangs include their main one in Taipei, more precisely in the Shilin District. This was the original home of the Chiangs after their arrival in Taiwan in 1949. This has also been opened to the general public since 2011. Here you can get a better insight into the private as well as political life of the former dictator and his flamboyant wife (who moved to the USA after her husband’s death in 1975 and lived to the grand old age of 106).
Combinations with non-dark destinations: The park around the exhibition bungalow is a popular attraction in itself, featuring plum and cherry blossom trees (in season) and pieces of open-air art.
The lush green hillsides around Jiaobanshan are popular with hikers too. And the views over the Dahan River, especially from the new suspension bridge built in 2018 (100 NTD admission) are a particular highlight.
See also under Taiwan in general.
