Taiwanese pay respects to former leader on Tomb Sweeping Day Thousands of Chiang Kai-shek supporters gather at the memorial hall dedicated to Taiwan's former leader on Tomb Sweeping Day to mark the anniversary of his death. Revered as a hero by the island's pro-China camp for fighting the Communists but despised as a dictator by many Taiwanese, Chiang ruled Taiwan with an iron fist until his death in 1975. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES