The renaming of the memorial hall proceeded, but the statue was not removed or covered up, as had been speculated, when the newly named National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall re-opened in January 2008. Instead, the statue and its surroundings were decorated with many kites to reflect the theme of "a democratic wind." The kites were removed later that year, but other democracy-related decorations remained, prompting a statement of regret from Chiang's grandson John Chiang. In August 2008, the Executive Yuan withdrew proposed statutes to make the name change permanent, and the memorial hall reverted to its original name, likely ending any threat to remove the Chiang statue inside.