The sight is familiar. I climb the many steps up to the temple-like Memorial, the number of steps steeped in relevant history. The large main hall at the top is visually dominated by the seated statue of the nation’s most revered former leader. He sits stoically in his throne-like chair, his face strong and arms stretched forward revealing his strategically placed hands. He gazes out into the vast space of the capital in front of him. It’s hard not to be awed by the view. It’s a sight anyone interested in Abraham Lincoln would likely find familiar. I speak of course of the Memorial to…
…Chiang Kai-shek.
I’m in Taipei, where the Memorial to Taiwan’s revered leader creates an eerily similar feeling as Americans get climbing the steps into the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. That’s not an accident.
The history of the nationalist Chinese and origins of the Republic of China (ROC) government now found in Taiwan are way too complicated for this post, but there is an Abraham Lincoln connection. Sun Yat-sen is considered as the founder of the ROC and has a memorial hall himself in Taipei. He found inspiration in America’s 16th president, often quoting Lincoln in conversation and speeches and developing what he called “principles of the people” roughly capturing Lincoln’s “government by the people” and “government for the people.” Over time, the US and Taiwan worked to establish ideological connections as deterrent against common adversaries. *
Sun died in 1927 and his successor, Chiang Kai-shek (who married a sister of Sun’s widow), led the nation in wars against the Japanese, World War II, and the communist uprising led by Mao Zedong. Following his loss to the latter, Chiang’s led the nationalist retreat to Taiwan.
Any modern assessment would question Chiang Kai-shek’s interpretation of Lincoln’s words (as I said, it’s complicated), but the Taiwanese government under his 25-year reign continued to be inspired by Lincoln’s “government of…by…for the people” philosophy. As the post-Chiang Taiwan developed into a US ally, they took inspiration from Lincoln’s rise from humble beginnings and the idea that society should reward those who work hard to better their condition (and the condition of society).
In any case, when it came time to build a memorial for Chiang following his death in 1975, the nationalist Chinese in Taiwan wanted to emulate the emotional impact of Lincoln’s Memorial. The long walk up the steps into a temple highlighted by the huge, seated figure was meant to create the same effect. The stoic statue. The intentionally placed hands. The gaze into a long view of the capital ahead of him. On the wall above Chiang’s head are excerpts from his political writing focused on the “scientific progress, democracy, and reason” under his reign. All were designed with the Lincoln Memorial in mind.
One can argue that the Chinese leader had views that Lincoln would not have admired. But the nationalism and pride instilled in the populace by the respective memorials are similar. That’s on purpose.
As we’ve seen in other international travels and extensive reading, Lincoln has inspired many governments around the world. Given our current domestic ideological conflicts, looking to Lincoln can provide inspiration for our own rebirth of freedom here in the United States.
*Adversaries such as the People’s Republic of China (aka, Communist China or “the mainland”). To further complicate how Lincoln is used as inspiration, China has also used Lincoln to support (at least in their minds) their regime, arguing that Lincoln’s strong opposition to secession and reunification of the states justifies China’s strong central government and attempt to “reunify” Taiwan with the mainland.
[Photo Credits: David J. Kent, September 2026]
[A version of this was originally posted on the Lincolnian website]
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David J. Kent is Immediate Past President of the Lincoln Group of DC and the author of many books on Abraham Lincoln, Nikola Tesla, and Thomas Edison.
