Zhongzheng

Alternative meaning: Chiang Chung-cheng

Zhongzheng District (中正區, Wade-Giles: Chung-cheng, Tongyong Pinyin: Jhongjheng) is the home of the most of the national government buildings of the Republic of China. This includes the Presidential Office, the Executive Yuan, the Control Yuan, the Legislative Yuan, the Judicial Yuan, and various government ministries. This district of Taipei City is named after Chiang Kai-shek.

The district has many cultural and educational sites including the Botanical Gardens, the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, the National Museum of History, the Taiwan Museum, the National Central Library, the 228-Memorial Park, the National Theater, the National Concert Hall, and the Chinese Taipei Film Archive. Other museums include the Postal Museum, the Taipei City Traffic Museum for Children, and the Taipei Museum of Drinking Water. Much of the Qing Dynasty era Taipei City lies within this district.

The 228-Memorial Park, formerly known as the New Park, is a place frequented by gays during the night. GLBT activist Pai Hsien-yung wrote stories about his experiences at the New Park. Annual gay pride parades usually start from the 228-Memorial park.

High School and college students frequent the area immediately south of the Taipei Train Station in the Zhongzheng District. This area has a high concentration of bookstores, cram schools, learning centers, private tutoring centers, and test-prep centers.

Several bazaars and traditional markets are scattered throughout the district. This includes streets and alleys associated either as a camera and photography bazaar, clothing bazaar, and traditional produce markets such as the Dongmen Market and the Nanmen Market. The Gongguan Night Market caters to the students of the National Taiwan University.

Two notable hospitals are in this district. One is the National Taiwan University Hospital. The other is the Taipei Municipal Heping (Hoping) Hospital, which was quarantined for being the epicenter of the SARS outbreak in Taiwan.

Bethany School, a private Christian English-language primary and junior high school, is located in this district.

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