Reported by Li Jin-Ciang / County Government
The Kinmen National Park Headquarters organized a workshop (Kinmen session) of the Kinmen National Park Battlefield Monuments Preservation and Maintenance Program: Oral History Interview and Cultural Relics Conservation Project at the Second Audiovisual Room of the Jhongshanlin Visitor Center yesterday afternoon. Comprehensive collective memory of the battlefields, such as the battles, life on the battlefield, military control, military mail, and interactions between soldiers and civilians, was revived at a seminar.
The Kinmen session was held at the Second Audiovisual Room of the Jhongshanlin Visitor Center from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. yesterday. In addition to display and exhibition of the project results, three important interviewees, namely Lieutenant General Yan Jhong-Cheng, Director Hong Jhih-He, and Mr. Huang Jhen-Liang, were invited to take part in the Kinmen Battles Oral History Interviewee Forum, recalling the battles and discussing and reflecting on the impact of those battles in Kinmen on them then and later while answering questions from journalists and the audience. The forum was held to offer people an opportunity to listen to stories untold in history textbooks and to add cultural insights and sightseeing value to Kinmen National Park. At last, Kinmen National Park Headquarters Director Hsieh Wei-Sung presented a certificate of appreciation to each interviewee to express his gratitude.
According to the Headquarters, it took them a year and half to collect oral histories of the battles in Kinmen, and the interviewees included the following: three military officers and soldiers who took part in important battles, namely Mr. Bu Gong-Jhih, Mr. Hu Ding-Yuan, and Mr. Lin Heng-Syong; five officers and soldiers who used to be stationed on the islands of Kinmen, namely Mr. Yan Jhong-Cheng, Mr. Jhuang Cian-Liang, Mr. Walis Nokan, Mr. Yang Jin-Syong, and Ms. Hong Cai-Luan; and two Kinmen residents who had wartime experiences, namely Mr. Hong Jhih-He and Mr. Huang Jhen-Liang. Among them, one joined the Battle of Guningtou, and five took part in or experienced the First Taiwan Strait Crisis or Second Taiwan Strait Crisis. The military personnel stationed in Kinmen ranged from commander, company commander (captain), noncommissioned officers, and soldier of the Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion, which was a special corps, to nurse. These interviewees provided a variety of perspectives and special experiences.
Among the interviewees, Battalion Commander Bu Gong-Jhih is now 104 years old. The officers and soldiers who actually took part in the Battle of Guningtou with him have mostly passed away, which makes his interview records more precious. Hu Ding-Yuan, a master sergeant who died this August at the age of 98, took part in the First Taiwan Strait Crisis and provided his unique experience and lively descriptions of being one of the first frogmen in Kinmen during the interview. General Lin Heng-Syong, who served in Kinmen three times, experienced the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, bombardments on alternate days of the week for the next twenty years, and the severance of diplomatic relations with the United States, witnessing the full history of the War Zone Administration in Kinmen. Among the officers and soldiers stationed in Kinmen, General Yan Jhong-Cheng used to serve as Commander of the Kinmen Defense Command and Governor of Fujian Province. He gave up on his studies to join the army and defend his country, which set a good example to young people in Kinmen. Major General Jhuang Cian-Liang was an entry-level armored corps officer and then became a company commander of armored corps. Later on he engaged in academic studies and learned a lot about the tactics, strategies, and all types of equipment for armored warfare. Yang Jin-Syong, who was a frogman of the Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion, was responsible for seaborne reconnaissance and assault and transportation of supplies. Walis Nokan and his father (who took part in the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis) and first younger brother used to serve in Kinmen, and he talked about what happened when he was stationed in Kinmen from the perspective of a Taiwanese aborigine. Hong Cai-Luan worked at the surgical ward of Hua Gang Shih Hospital in Kinmen as a head nurse during the period of martial law. Her narrations allowed people to have a glance at how Hua Gang Shih Hospital, which has now been abandoned, watched over soldiers and civilians in Kinmen in times of war. As for the Kinmen residents, people can learn more about the military postal system, which is unknown to the public, through the interview with Hong Jhih-He. Huang Jhen-Liang, who grew up in wartime and became a teacher on the frontline, devoted almost thirty years to the studies of Kinmen’s culture and history. He experienced the First Taiwan Strait Crisis and Second Taiwan Strait Crisis. There was a howitzer front behind the village where his previous house was located. He is the best narrator of the ordinary people’s history of Kinmen.
Lieutenant General Yan Jhong-Cheng, former Governor of Fujian Province, shed light on the future of Kinmen during the conclusion, saying that since Kinmen became a county, there have been no better opportunities than right now. We should seize this opportunity without regarding Kinmen as part of Taiwan or Fujian. We should recognize Kinmen as the gateway to both sides of the Taiwan Strait with geographic and tactical significance. To seek better development of Kinmen, we should focus on three things. First, governments on both sides should place importance on Kinmen and turn it into an experimental peace zone. Anything that the governments cannot do can be done in Kinmen, and further implementation may be considered after positive results are attained in Kinmen. Kinmen may also serve as the intermediate for both sides, providing a venue for any peace agreements, financial transactions, and communications between both sides. He proposed three major projects for Kinmen and Matsu, an idea that he previously revealed in his writing contribution to Kinmen Daily News. The first project is to terminate the Mini-Three-Links experiment in Kinmen, and establish and enforce regulations regarding the Mini-Three-Links arrangement, so as to develop Kinmen into a transit hub for both sides. The second project is to establish Kinmen and Matsu as special economic zones, enact special laws, and remove the army or designate these two areas as demilitarized zones. The objectives are to attract workers and investments from China and facilitate the development, so Kinmen can become the intermediate and experimental peace zone for both sides. The third project is to construct Jinsia Bridge and Jindeng Bridge, build Kinmen and Xiamen into twin cities that facilitate the growth of local economy, financial services, education, and other service industries, and develop these two areas into a waterfront paradise that is mostly friendly to the environment and ideal for traveling, recreation, and living. In this way, the future of Kinmen will become incredibly promising. He urged everyone to work together and governments on both sides to place importance on Kinmen.