After decades of standing sentry over the enormous bronze statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) at his eponymous memorial in Taipei, the honor guards’ clacking boots are no longer heard reverberating around its cavernous hall.
However, they have not gone far: Since Monday, the guards have moved just outside the memorial park’s Democracy Boulevard. When weather permits, a six-member guard is to march from the north and south entrances to the park and converge by the steps leading up to the hall every hour on the hour between 9am and 5pm. They will also still perform the flag-raising and lowering ceremonies as usual, ensuring the popular tourist draw remains mostly unchanged.