Army veteran Peng Chuan-yong (彭泉湧) never thought he would have to do his mandatory military service on Matsu.
Back in the 1960s and 1970s, young men across Taiwan drew lots to determine where they would be stationed. Tensions between Taiwan and China at that time made Matsu and other outlying islands the least desirable places to be sent, as personnel stationed on either Kinmen or Matsu were not allowed to return home regularly and were always on a high alert in case of an unexpected attack by China.
Peng, along with other young conscripts, arrived at Matsu’s Beigan Island (北竿島) in 1969 and became a member of the 51st division. Two months later, his division was ordered to start digging the Beihai Tunnel (北海坑道).
PHOTO: LEE WEN-YI, TAIPEI TIMES
For Peng, the project proved hazardous from beginning to end.
“Each day, about 100 soldiers would be dispatched to work on the tunnel. Some of them would use air compressors to drill holes in the granite. The construction had to continue day and night, and soldiers were required to take turns working,” he said.
Peng remembers that the air quality inside the tunnel was awful, but rather than facemasks, many soldiers simply used spare shirts to cover their nose and mouth.
“I was in charge of arranging the explosives to blast holes,” Peng said. “One of our deputy battalion commanders died while trying to determine whether any of the explosive devices hadn’t detonated.”
Serving with Peng in the 51st division, Chen Mu-kuei (陳木桂) also remembers the tunnel-digging project as being potentially lethal.
“One time, between 40 and 50 soldiers were crushed by falling rocks while eating lunch inside the tunnel … Those who died while drilling the tunnel were like ants, whose sacrifices seemed small and insignificant,” Chen said.
“Whenever I heard the steam whistle coming from the port, I became absent-minded and just wanted to go home,” he said. “Who would not want to go home?”
The tunnel was eventually opened in 1970.
The government also drilled large tunnels in Matsu’s Nangan Island (南竿島) and Dongyin Island (東引島), though these were still popularly know as Beihai Tunnels.
Retired major-general Lee Yung-kang (李永康) was a lieutenant in charge of drilling the Beihai Tunnel in Nangan.
“The tunnels were built to accommodate “ducks,” the name we gave for landing crafts.” Lee said. “There was really only one purpose behind the drilling of these tunnels: to reconquer the mainland.”
In Lee’s words, the construction process was simply “too ghastly to recall.”
“One time, 60 infantry soldiers went into the tunnel, but pretty soon 20 staggered out and received cardiotonic shots because they were on the verge of suffocating,” he said.
Lee said the tunnel-digging project was kept confidential during the martial law era. Nobody knew exactly how many people died, he said, adding that he left after the project was completed.
He returned to Matsu in 1991 and sought to find out if the tunnels still existed.
“I went to look out for the place myself. I went there on the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar, when there happened to be a low tide. I saw the tunnel, which looked good as new,” Lee said.
Lee later informed Matsu’s commander-in-chief as well as former Lienchiang County commissioner Liu Li-chun (劉立群) about the tunnels.
Liu had the tunnels remodeled and turned into tourist attractions. The Lienchiang County Government has since hosted several events, including kayaking and canoeing in the tunnels.
Tunnel 88, an abandoned military tunnel, is now a wine cellar for Matsu’s aged rice wine (馬祖老酒) and Kaoliang.
The tunnels, one whose walls patriotic slogans are still visible, outdoor spaces and seaports are now marketed as part of the unique Matsu experience.
As a result, an island that used to be a mysterious and restricted zone has been transformed into one of the nation’s most interesting scenic spots.
“The only thing preventing tourists from coming to Matsu is transportation,” Lee said. “It is not an easy place to reach.”
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by