George Leslie Mackay was a Canadian missionary and physician, well regarded in Taiwan for his selfless medical work. After landing ashore in what is now Tamsui District, New Taipei City, he remained on the island until his death in 1901, providing free medical treatment to locals. In 1980, he founded the Mackay Hospital, northern Taiwan’s first Western medical center, which would eventually relocate to Taipei in 1911.
In addition to medical work, he also established several churches and schools, including Taiwan’s first school for girls.
In 2007, in recognition of his medical work, New Taipei City placed a statue of George Mackay at the location where he first came ashore. The statue shows the man with one knee on the ground, praying over a rowboat. In the boat rests a small suitcase and a Bible.
In 2013, frequent flooding of the statue during typhoons led the city to agree to raise the statue’s height. Some would reportedly use it as a makeshift “water meter” to gauge the flooding level. However, despite being raised, flooding of the statue continues.
