times or saluting before the sarcophagus). Schoolchildren were often bussed in to do the same. At the anniversary of his death on April 5, high-ranking Kuomintang officials would pay homage to the late President in lavish ceremonies. Since democratization of Taiwan during the 1990s, the visitors to Cihu have dwindled in their numbers and the next generation of KMT officials, have visited with less pomp and ceremony. Supporters of Taiwan independence (and pro-independence leaders such as Chen Shui-bian) do not visit the site due to their dislike for Chiang Kai-shek—a leader whom they viewed as one who imposed authoritarian rule on Taiwan. When Chiang Kai-shek's son, President Chiang Ching-kuo, died in 1988 he was also entombed in a similar fashion in nearby Touliao Mausoleum, Daxi. This gained Daxi the reputation as the “township of the Presidents”. In 2004, Chiang Fang-liang, the widow of Chiang Ching-kuo, asked that both father and son be buried at Wuchih Mountain Military Cemetery in Hsichih, Taipei County. The state funeral ceremony was planned for late 2006, but due to repeated delays, no ceremony was ever held or materialized. There was public debate if another national funeral should be held again for the burial in Wuchih Mountain Military Cemetery, with fervent supporters of Taiwan independence against granting honors to someone whom they view as a dictator. However, President Chen was inclined to hold another national funeral (the first to invoke the state funeral law) but limited it to one day. Chiang Fang-liang and Soong Mei-ling had agreed in 1997 that the former leaders be first buried but still be moved to mainland China in the event of reunification. Soong Mei-ling died in 2003 and was entombed at Ferncliff Cemetery in New York. Chiang Fang-liang died in 2004 and her cremated remains were placed next to her husband's tomb at Touliao. With the election of Kuomintang candidate Ma Ying-jeou in the 2008 Republic of China presidential election, Taoyuan County officials hoped the mausoleum would be reopened and planned to give the public a glimpse of a previously restricted section of the park. The residence was converted into his temporary resting site after his death on 5 April 1975 and opened to visitors. But the mysterious grounds behind the mausoleum remained under the control of the Ministry of National Defense, making it impossible for the public to appreciate the beauty of the location or Chiang’s security precautions. The