Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CHRIS NELSON: GRAVER
My hobby is 'graving', that is, I visit, research and document cemeteries around the
world. It's not a hobby that endears me to superstitious locals here in Taiwan, but I
think graving gives me insight into the history and culture of the places I visit.
Best Overall Gravesite
For an excellent introduction to the variety of Chinese graves, nothing beats the
Li-
uzhangli Cemeteries
in Taipei. There are Buddhist, Taoist, Christian and Muslim
graveyards, as well as three White Terror cemeteries where people killed by the
Kuomintang (KMT) are buried.
Foreign Graves
At the Tamsui Foreign Cemetery (
Click here
)
in Tamsui there are graves of dozens
of foreign merchants, mariners and missionaries. Next to it is the Mackay Family
Cemetery (
Click here
)
, where George Leslie Mackay (
Click here
)
and his family are
buried.
The grave of Nelly O'Driscoll is the remotest one I know of. It's a lonely grave at
the
Hsiyu Lighthouse
in Penghu. Nelly was the daughter of a lighthouse keeper, but
little else is known about her. Kind of sad, to be buried in such a faraway place.
Don't Miss
Cihu Memorial Sculpture Park (
Click here
)
is where Chiang Kai-shek (CKS) is en-
tombed. It's interesting: even though CKS is widely reviled now, people still look on
his tomb with awe and respect.
Most Kitschy Grave
Up the road from the Juming Museum (
Click here
), there's the tomb of singer
Teresa Teng, at
Jinbaoshan Cemetery
. Busloads of fans make pilgrimages here to
pay homage to 'Taiwan's Sweetheart'. There are kitschy sculptures, piped-in music
and even an oversized electronic keyboard you can play.
Best Time to Visit Graves
The best time to visit is during the Qing Ming Festival (also called Tomb Sweeping
Day) when people return to their ancestors' graves for a once-a-year cleaning. The
festival is usually held in early April.
For more cemetery information in Taiwan, and the locations of the places men-
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