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-- Working draft for upcoming book by Mark Caltonhill, author of "Private Prayers and Public Parades - Exploring the religious life of Taipei" and other works.

Monday 17 January 2022

Zhongheng (中正) District, Taipei City

Zhongzheng (中正; lit. "central uprightness") District was formed in 1990 by merging the old Chengzhong (城中; "City Center") District with Guting (古亭) District and some neighborhoods of Daan (大安) District.

It is called either directly after former President Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石; who took the name Chiang Chung-cheng; "Centrality [and] Uprightness" {蔣中正; HP: Jiang Zhong-zheng} in 1917/18), or indirectly after the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (國立中正紀念堂), which lies within its boundary.

CKS explained his choice of name as referring to the Confucian expression 大中至正 (Mdn: da zhong zhi zheng; lit. “great centrality and perfect uprightness”), saying it was "a phrase that embodied the beliefs and principles by which he lived his life.”Cynics say he chose it to echo the name Zhongshan (中山; "Central Mountain"; see Zhongshan District etc.) adopted by his mentor and founder of the Chinese National Party, Sun Yat-sen.



Text and photo copyright Jiyue Publications 2022

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