Tough to defend the existence of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall on moral grounds, so the latest argument is a naked appeal to economic self-interest. From Sunday’s editorial in the China Post:
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall has become a tourist attraction that’s extremely popular with tourists, especially visitors from mainland China. It contributes immensely to the development of Taiwan’s tourist industry.
The abolition of this historic site would deprive the island of a major tourist attraction and do tremendous harm to the lives of countless businesspeople who rely on this tourist center to make a living.
Making pilgrimages to monuments to authoritarianism is about the LAST thing that subjects of a communist state ought to be doing. If Chinese tourists come to Taiwan, let them visit monuments showing Taiwan’s commitment to democracy instead.
Lenin’s Tomb is a pretty big tourist attraction too, but that’s entirely beside the point. Bury the sonofabitch already.