Kinmen County GovernmentKinmen County Government

Reported by: Yang Shuei-Yong at County Hall

This year (2018) marks the 60^th anniversary of the victory of the August 23^rd Artillery War (823). To show appreciation for the sacrifice and dedication of the citizens in Kinmen Island during the “military administration” period, the Kinmen County Council approved a budget to support the “Implementation Plan of the 60^th Anniversary Commemorative Liquor of the 823 Artillery War,” formulated by the Civil Affairs Department. Anyone whose household registration was in Kinmen before the end of the military administration period on November 7^th 1992 and still remained in Kinmen County before June 23^rd this year (date of tabulation of registration) will be given a bottle of the commemorative liquor.

According to Kinmen County Government’s press release yesterday (23^rd), during the shocking “August 23^rd Artillery War” in 1958, Kinmen persevered and survived a devastating attack lasting forty-four days with 470,000 artillery shells, winning the final victory. This laid the foundation for Taiwan’s stable development for decades, carrying out construction, promoting industrial and commercial expansion, facilitating international trade and economic prosperity, and thus created the world-famous "Taiwan miracle." Taiwan’s national income greatly increased, and people enjoyed an abundant life and political democracy. The “823 Artillery War” indeed played a substantial role, where its influence on the development of our country's history is both deep and far-reaching.

The County Government said that the “Commemorative Liquor of the 60^th Anniversary of the 823 Artillery War” will be distributed by staff assigned by the Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor Inc. (KKL) at township offices with the following schedule:

• Lieyu Township: August 9^th (Thursday) to August 10^th (Friday).
• Jinsha and Jinhu Township: August 10^th (Friday) to August 11^th (Saturday).
• Jinning and Jincheng Township: August 12^th (Sunday) to August 13^th (Monday).

The County Government stated that the time for collecting the liquor is from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm (no lunch break). Please collect it with your national identity card and personal seal at the township office where your household is registered. If you are unable to go in person, a relative within the third degree of relationship can collect it with the household certificate on your behalf, and by filling in details of the representing relationship; for those relatives who are not within the third degree of relationship, a letter of authorization is required. If you miss the time listed above, you can still collect from the Ningshan Distribution Center of KKL’s Distribution Management Department during office hours, from August 16^th to September 15^th.

The County Government observed that this commemorative liquor was a high-quality distillation by Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor Inc. which has won many worldwide awards, and is bottled in fine porcelain produced by the Kinmen Ceramics Factory, the only official kiln in the country. Its specification is a gift box containing a porcelain bottle of commemorative liquor, one-liter, alcohol percentage 58%. The design concept of the bottle is centered on imagery of peace; it is painted with patterns symbolizing peace, such as lotuses and doves of peace, which have far-reaching meaning. The bottle is only produced in a limited edition, with collection and commemorative value. Contact number: 318823#62131, Miss Chen, Civil Affairs Department.