Taiwan Road Renaming Debate Pits Transitional Justice Against Cost and Disruption

Hundreds of Road Names Put Taiwan's Past Back in Focus

More than 300 roads in Taiwan still bear the name Zhongzheng, the adopted name of former authoritarian leader Chiang Kai-shek. A renewed Ministry of the Interior proposal to rename roads commemorating former rulers has brought a difficult question back into public debate: how should Taiwan address its authoritarian past without placing new costs and administrative burdens on residents?

As of June 10, 2025, the Executive Yuan, Taiwan's Cabinet, has no immediate plan to require a nationwide change. Premier Cho Jung-tai has said decisions will be left to local governments and their residents, with broad agreement needed before changes are enforced.

The financial stakes are already drawing attention. New Taipei City officials estimate that renaming all 22 of its Zhongzheng Roads could cost more than NT$60 million, about US$1.8 million. Residents and businesses also face the prospect of changing address details across official records and everyday services.

For supporters, removing names that honor authoritarian rulers is part of transitional justice, the work of addressing abuses and public symbols left by an authoritarian government. For opponents and residents worried about disruption, the proposal puts street signs ahead of problems such as stagnant wages and soaring housing prices.

The disagreement reaches beyond the wording on a map. It concerns the meaning of public recognition, the responsibilities of a democratic government and who should decide whether a familiar address needs to change. The ministry's renewed initiative has drawn resistance from local officials, opposition politicians and ordinary citizens, even as it has revived arguments about the place Chiang should hold in public life.

Why Zhongzheng Appears Across Taiwan

Chiang Kai-shek led the Chinese Nationalist Party, known as the Kuomintang or KMT, and ruled Taiwan under martial law from 1949 until his death in 1975. His legacy remains deeply divisive.

After the KMT retreated to Taiwan following its defeat in the Chinese Civil War, the regime sought to erase Japanese colonial influence by renaming streets, schools and public spaces. Zhongzheng became the most common street name across the island, leaving Chiang's adopted name woven into everyday addresses.

For some residents, those names are reminders of political repression. Ma Chun-wei, an assistant professor and political science analyst at Tamkang University, described why references to Chiang can remain painful:

For some Taiwanese, anything related to Chiang is a reminder of a painful authoritarian past.

Others remember Chiang as a leader who resisted communism and oversaw Taiwan's economic development. Those competing views help explain why a road name can carry very different meanings for people living in the same city.

What the Transitional Justice Law Requires

The Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP, has made transitional justice a priority since coming to power in 2016. Its argument is that a mature democracy should remove public symbols honoring authoritarian rulers.

The 2017 Act on Promoting Transitional Justice mandates the removal or renaming of public symbols commemorating those rulers. Its reach includes road names, statues and other markers. The road proposal therefore sits within an existing legal effort to address the authoritarian period.

The main dates behind the dispute show how the current debate connects to earlier decisions:

• 1949: Chiang's rule under martial law began in Taiwan.
• 1975: Chiang died, ending the period of his rule described in the debate.
• 2016: The DPP came to power and prioritized transitional justice.
• 2017: The Act on Promoting Transitional Justice mandated action on public symbols commemorating authoritarian rulers.
• June 10, 2025: The renewed road renaming debate continued without an immediate Cabinet plan for a nationwide mandate.

Why the Interior Minister Calls It a Rights Issue

Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang has defended the proposal as a human rights issue. Her position connects the treatment of authoritarian symbols to Taiwan's democratic responsibilities, rather than treating renaming solely as a spending decision.

Liu said the government's commitment to transitional justice should continue even when funding is a concern:

The government cannot pretend to look at transitional justice only when there is money to do so, as that attitude does not reflect Taiwan's democracy and rule of law.

Supporters of removing the names see public commemoration as part of the unfinished work of dealing with authoritarian rule. A road name is used repeatedly in official documents, directions and daily conversation, giving the person it honors an enduring public presence.

Critics place greater weight on what the government delivers in people's daily lives. They argue that changing symbols feels hollow when wages remain stagnant, housing prices are rising and other reforms demand attention.

What Residents and Businesses Would Have to Change

Renaming a road involves more than replacing signs. Thousands of address records, business licenses, land deeds and identification documents would need updating. Residents and businesses would also have to change address details held by banks, employers and government agencies.

New Taipei City's estimate of more than NT$60 million for its 22 Zhongzheng Roads gives the dispute a concrete financial dimension. The estimate concerns that city's roads, while the renewed initiative concerns hundreds of roads bearing the names of former authoritarian leaders across Taiwan.

Victoria Lin, who lives on Zhongzheng Road in New Taipei's Zhonghe District, expressed the concern facing households that would have to manage the changes:

Do you know how much trouble it will be to have to change my home address with the banks and all that?

Her concern captures a practical part of the disagreement. A decision made in the name of national remembrance would be carried out through many small tasks by individual residents and businesses. The government's case for changing public symbols therefore meets a separate question about how much disruption people should be asked to absorb.

Local Leaders Challenge the Government's Priorities

Opposition politicians, particularly from the KMT, have seized on the cost and inconvenience. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an, Chiang Kai-shek's great-grandson, accused the DPP of politicizing the issue instead of concentrating on governance.

New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih called the proposal "meaningless" and argued that the government should prioritize solving everyday problems for citizens. His city's cost estimate has given that criticism a specific figure around which to organize.

Many voters in the political center also express frustration with what they see as "surface" changes. Their criticism is that symbolic action receives attention while economic pressures remain unresolved.

The dispute brings together objections that have different starting points. Some people defend Chiang's place in Taiwan's history. Others focus on the expense and paperwork of renaming, or on whether the government is giving enough attention to wages and housing. All have become part of the backlash against the renewed initiative.

What the Cabinet Has Said About Implementation

Premier Cho Jung-tai's clarification places local governments and residents at the center of any immediate decisions. The Executive Yuan has no immediate plan to mandate nationwide road renaming, and the central government has stressed the need for broad consensus before changes are enforced.

The Ministry of the Interior says it will continue promoting the removal of authoritarian symbols. It also plans to consult local officials and provide subsidies for renaming efforts.

Subsidies would address part of the financial burden identified by local authorities. Residents' concerns also involve the time and effort needed to update personal and business records, which explains why funding alone is unlikely to settle every objection.

No timetable for a nationwide renaming requirement has been given. The current position leaves the ministry pursuing its policy goal while local governments and their communities consider whether and how particular roads should change.

Earlier Changes Show Why the Debate Persists

Taiwan has made sporadic attempts over the years to remove symbols of its authoritarian past. Hundreds of Chiang statues have been taken down, and major landmarks, including the main international airport, have been renamed.

More than 760 statues nevertheless remain, along with many public spaces bearing names from the KMT era. The continued presence of these symbols helps explain why transitional justice repeatedly returns to public debate.

Resistance also persists among people who regard the symbols as part of Taiwan's history, alongside their association with authoritarian rule. That view sits against the argument that public spaces should stop honoring rulers linked to a painful past.

The broader debate includes Taiwan's identity, accountability for past abuses, indigenous rights and economic inequality. Critics argue that symbolic changes need to be accompanied by deeper reforms in those areas. As Taiwan prepares for future elections, the government faces pressure both to acknowledge history and to meet citizens' practical needs. Decisions about road names will test how it balances those responsibilities.

Key Points

• More than 300 roads in Taiwan bear Zhongzheng, Chiang Kai-shek's adopted name.
• The 2017 Act on Promoting Transitional Justice mandates action on public symbols commemorating authoritarian rulers.
• New Taipei officials estimate that renaming its 22 Zhongzheng Roads could exceed NT$60 million, about US$1.8 million.
• Residents and businesses face changes to official records and addresses held by banks, employers and public agencies.
• The Cabinet has no immediate nationwide mandate planned; decisions will rest with local governments and residents.
• The interior ministry intends to continue consultations and offer subsidies for renaming.
• Hundreds of Chiang statues have been removed, but more than 760 remain.