National Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall

This guide to the National Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall in Taipei opens on an April day in 1975, when a flower-draped coffin rolled down the boulevard outside and eight hundred thousand people bowed as it passed, though the man inside was not the revolutionary this hall was built to honor. It traces how the hall meant for Sun Yat-sen, founding father of the Republic of China, ended up hosting Chiang Kai-shek lying in state for a week of mourning that overwhelmed its doors, and how architect Wang Da-hong shaped its Tang-dynasty-style roofline at Chiang's own request. Watch for the hourly change of the honor guard as you walk the marble hall.