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.”
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