Discussions to remove or relocate the 10 m seated Chiang at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall started in 2007, followed by the renaming of the memorial hall in March 2007. In response, the Taipei City Government classified the memorial hall (including the statue) as a temporary historical site, which prevented any alteration or damage, and the KMT held a protest to oppose the proposed changes. Prompted by the removal of Chiang statues at other sites, some groups agitated for removal of the Chiang statue in July 2007 to coincide with other changes at the memorial hall.