Taipei memorial ceremony for Genghis Khan, 1976

What it is

This is a black-and-white press photograph taken by a reporter of the Taiwan New Life Daily (台灣新生報) on 20 April 1976. It shows a memorial ceremony for Genghis Khan in a large indoor hall in Taipei. Rows of men in suits face a stage with a dark curtain, a Chinese-style banner, flags and a central altar with offerings. A uniformed group stands on a balcony.

The Commons description, written in Chinese, says the ceremony was held at the Chiang Kuang Hall, now the Deer Cry Hall of National Taiwan University, and was led by the chairman of the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission.

Why it matters

The photograph documents how the Republic of China officially honoured Genghis Khan in the 1970s. The caption explains that the commission kept Mongolian and Tibetan affairs going as a symbol of national territory and sovereignty after Outer Mongolia became independent. The ceremony shows that his memory was used in modern political and cultural life, not only in history books.

Look closer

• Who stands in the front rows, and what do their clothes and positions suggest about the event?
• Why might a government hold a memorial for a figure from the 13th century in 1976?
• What does the photograph not show about the ceremony's meaning for Mongolian people?