The Institute of Revolutionary Practice (Chinese: 革命實踐研究院) is an educational institution established in 1949, and affiliated with the Kuomintang.

History

On 8 July 1949, Chiang Kai-shek and a group of Kuomintang leaders, among them Chang Chi-yun, Hsu Pei-keng [zh], Ku Cheng-kang, and Sun Li-jen, founded the Institute of Revolutionary Practice. Later that month, Chiang Ching-kuo, Tao Hsi-sheng [zh], and Yu Ta-wei [zh] were appointed to the preparatory committee.^[1] The institute published its own newsletter, Practice, the first issue of which was dated 15 October 1949.^[2] The institute's first students were admitted on 16 October 1949.^[3]: 137 During the 1950s, Chiang Kai-shek attempted to reform the Kuomintang, so that its members were loyal to him. The trainees at the Institute of Revolutionary Practice and other programs were a part of this reform.^[4][5][6] While in a leadership position at the school, Chiang Ching-kuo relied on his role to build his political influence with younger party members, who trained there to become mid- to high-level members of the Kuomintang.^[5] Upon the death of Chiang Kai-shek in 1975, the oversight of the Institute of Revolutionary Practice was delegated to the Central Committee of the Kuomintang [zh].^[7]: 23 The institution was known as the National Development and Research Institute between October 1999 and 2017, when it returned to its original name.^[8][9] The institute resumed training sessions in July 2020, twenty years after they had been suspended.^[10]

The institute is located in the Muzha portion of Wenshan District in Taipei, on a plot of land known as Zhongxing Shanzhuang.^[11] The Kuomintang acquired the land on which the property is located in 1964.^[12] A portion of the plot was sold to the Yuanlih Group in August 2005 for NT$4.25 billion.^[13][14][15] In 2014, portions of the institute's premises were designated by the Taipei City Government as historic buildings.^[16][17]

Kuomintang chairman Johnny Chiang stated in 2020 that the institute's directorship is an unpaid and "obligatory post".^[18]

Structure

• Kuomintang Youth League
• Research Department
• Teaching Department

Leaders

• Chiang Kai-shek (16 October 1949 – 31 October 1949)
• Chen Cheng (31 October 1949 – 21 May 1950)
• Peng Meng-chi [zh] (21 May 1950 – 1954)
• Chu Sung-chiu [zh] (26 June 1954 – 25 September 1954)
• Chiang Kai-shek (May 1956 – 1958)
• Chang Chi-yun (1958–1972)
• Yuan Shouqian (1963–1967)
• Lee Huan (6 August 1975 – 14 June 1978)
• Chiang Yen-si [zh] (14 June 1978 – January 1988)
• Lee Teng-hui (January 1988 – December 1988)
• Chuang Huai-yi (from 1994)
• Tsai Bih-hwang (December 1997 – August 2002)
• John Kuan (2002–2005)
• Chen Ta-tai (24 July 2009 – 4 September 2011)
• Kao Huei [zh] (until 12 February 2014)
• Kuo Shou-wang (May 2014 – January 2015)
• Jimmy Wu (February 2015 – March 2016)
• Lin Chung-shan (June 2016 – July 2017)
• Lin Huo-wang [zh] September 2017 – 25 March 2020)
• Lo Chih-chiang (since 26 March 2020)