A Worthwhile Visit on October, 2013金門之旅 Johnson Wen, 24 October 2013 On October 18, my wife and I flew to Kinmen Island for a three-day-visit. Kinmen is located about two kilometers off the coast of Xiamen(廈門), Fujian, Mainland China. According to modern Chinese history, it was one of the most well-known battlefields of 1949 Chinese Civil war and it was also a major battlefield of 823 Artillery Bombardment (823砲戰) in 1958. The Peoples Liberation Armed Forces (PLAF) began an intense artillery bombardment against Kinmen(金門) at 5:30pm on August 23, 1958. The ROC Armed Forces in Kinmen dug in and returned fire immediately. In just 85 minutes over 30,000 shells were fired to Kinmen Islands1 and three deputy commanders of the Kinmen Defense Command, Army Lieutenant General Chi Hsingwen (吉星文), Army Lieutenant General Chao Chiahsiang (趙家驤) and Air Force Lieutenant General Chang Chieh (章傑) were killed in action at the beginning of Artillery Bombardment. This was a surprise attack. We know at that moment, they went out of the tunnel the Kinmen Defense Command and arrived at an outdoor restaurant beside Mingder Lake. They then attended a welcome dinner party hosted by Commander, Army General Hu Lian(陸軍上將胡璉), kinmen Defense Command. The main guest was Mr. Yu Dawei(俞大維), Minister of National Defense . When they were waiting for him, unfortunately, a bomb hit the restaurant. A lot of officers were killed on the spot. The 823 Artillery Bombardment was a shock to Taiwan as well as the international community. The U.S. Naval “Seventh Fleet” began to indirectly escort the ROC naval supply ships to Kinmen and provided a lot of military assistance and equipment to our armed forces, such as 80 cannon and huge M240 artillery for firing against Mainland China. On October 25, 1958, the PRC(Peoples Republic of China) announced an “even-day ceasefire,the PLAF would only bombarded Kinmen on odd-numbered days. In the heavy exchange of fire, roughly 2,500 ROC troops and 200 PRC troops were killed. After the 1950s, the war became more symbolic than real, represented by on again, off again artillery bombardment towards and from Kinmen. In later years, live shells were replaced with propaganda shells. The artillery bombardment finally ceased in 1979 after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Peoples Republic of China and the United States. The 823 Artillery War had almost lasted 21 years long and then stopped. The PRC fired around 500,000 shells at the Kinmen islands in the conflict. The shells have become a recyclable resource for steel for the local economy. Since the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, Kinmen has become famous for its production of cleavers made from PRC bomb shells. Despite the end of the hostilities, the two sides have never signed any agreement or treaty to end the war officially. Therefore, it is also referred to as the “battlefield island”, which does not only mean it has unique battlefield scenery but it also inherited its numerous historical buildings. I have been there many times since 1972, I have almost forgotten how many times I have been there. I used to be a master of Naval Radar Station, Liaoluo Bay(料羅灣), Kinmen Island and was the Deputy Head of Navy Liaison Group, Kinmen Defend Command from 1975 to 1977. In 1972, I was appointed to be an Operation Officer of ROCN Ship AP-518 when I was Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG).This was at the beginning of my 4th year of sea career after graduating from the Chinese Naval Academy. The following year, I was promoted to lieutenant and was assigned to be the Deck Officer. I served on this ship for two and half years. My ship looked like a merchant ship. Only the color of ships body was different from the merchant ship. Our ship was navy gray, but the merchant ship was black. Five times every month, we went back and forth between Kinmen and Kaohsiung. The mission of our ship was to transport military goods, soldiers on leave and people who were residents of Kinmen Island. Therefore, every 6-days, I could come to Kinmen again. I often enjoyed the big yellow fish, beef, and big crab meals when I stayed there. All of these special meals were well-known in Kinmen. I liked it very much. On October 18, when I visited Kinmen again, there were no big yellow fish over 35cm long nor big crab. Because, fishing boats from Mainland China are always overfishing illegally in this sea. Their overfishing activities have affected the marine ecology seriously. They have changed the marine environment with explosives. This is the reason why we cannot enjoy the big fish and crab meals again. However, I was very happy that I could enjoy a big beef meal again when I stayed there. We had 12 dishes which included all parts of the cow from head to tail. Now the Cross-Strait Relations are peaceful. Kinmen has still kept its original village landscape. We can find traditional southern Fujianese or Western style architecture among these beautiful buildings. There is still a feeling of the same atmosphere as ancient times. A lot of military combat readiness tunnels which are underground or in the mountains are not used now. Now some of military tunnels and key posts are open for public sightseeing. The most famous tunnel is the Zhai Shan naval craft(small boat) tunnel(翟山海軍小艇坑道) which could hide more than 55 crafts. On this trip, I visited many military combat readiness tunnels and underground combat information centers, war museums, Qingtian Hall (擎天廳), artillery positions(砲兵陣地), observation posts(觀測所), historic sites, Folk Culture Village and so forth. The most well-known observation post is at Masan that is only 1800 meter away from the Small Deng Island(小嶝島) of Mainland China. At this point, we could see the Small Deng Island very clearly. When we visited the 823 Artillary Bombardment Museum we stood inside the simulator. Most tourists squealed with delight as the picture screen flashed fiery explosions and smoke that truly resembled“ firing artillery and its loud sound while the floor shook and tilted under our feet and the loudspeakers blasted loud booms. To my wifes delight, she came out giggling and saying “that was fun but very terrible. It could be said that the reality of the situation may have been lost on her, but as least we found a museum that was entertaining to tourists and let us experience how the “Artillery Bombardment” felt. The Qingtian Hall (擎天廳) is a great military engineering construction in modern military history. On August 23, 1958, Mainland China bombarded Kinmen with 494,901 artillery shells over 44 days. Qingtian Hall was built by ROC Army in 1962 as a military cave auditorium and command post. Near the Hall, many military tunnels were built after 823 Artillery Bombardment and it became military command where officers made their military operational plans and commanded troops. In Kinmen, almost all of military personnel have lived and worked in the underground tunnels or caves. This is the reason why the Peoples Liberation Army Forces could not destroy the Kinmen Island. My wife and I finished our trip in Kinmen and returned home on October 20. It was a fascinating and enjoyable trip and military tour.
Posted on: Mon, 04 Nov 2013 07:08:07 +0000
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