LIENCHIANG COUNTY (Taiwan News) — A museum commemorating the military history of Taiwan’s outlying Matsu islands reopened to the public on Wednesday (Feb. 28) after nearly two years of renovations.

Located on the smaller of Matsu’s two main islands, the Beigan War and Peace Museum (北竿戰和館) displays a historical record of the time when Kuomintang forces believed they would “recover mainland China.”

“The museum lifts the veil on the Matsu’s Battle Field Administration period through the preservation and exhibition of cultural relics from the period,” the Matsu tourism administration said. “With the theme of ‘always being prepared for battle (枕戈待旦),’ the museum highlights the overnight transformation of Matsu from fishing villages to a battlefield.”

Matsu's Deputy Magistrate Chen Kuan-jen, Fang Cheng-kuang, local tourism director Huang Shih-fang, and Beigan village head Wu Chin-ping open the museum on Wednesday. (Taiwan News, Jono Thomson photo)

Fang Cheng-kuang (方正光), head of Taiwan’s transport ministry’s tourism department, said the museum was first opened on March 3, 2010, the same calendar day the first session of the Republic of China’s (ROC) newly established national assembly was held in 1943. For the reopening, Fang said 228 Memorial Day was chosen to symbolize the transition toward peace.

228 Memorial Day is a national holiday commemorating the victims of the 228 Massacre and martial law in Taiwan, which was imposed on Feb. 28, 1949. While martial law was lifted in Taiwan in 1987, Matsu residents waited until 1992 before it was lifted there.

Speaking to Taiwan News, Lienchiang County Magistrate Wang Chung-ming (王忠銘) agreed that memories of military rule remain fresh in the minds of many Matsu locals. He said for this reason, the museum is largely to educate tourists from Taiwan and abroad about his constituent’s local history.

"Loyalty, solidarity, morale, efficiency" - military propaganda, pictured here in Matsu's Beigan, remains a common sight throughout the islands. (Taiwan News, Jono Thomson photo)

“This is a piece of our past,” Wang said. “But from the perspective of those who aren’t from here, for example, international tourists, there will be a lot they can see.”

In the late 1950s the national army of the ROC came to Matsu, Wang said, and the vast majority of troops began to leave 40 years later. “Now, Matsu has entered the era of democracy.”

The Matsu Islands lie some 10 km off China’s coastline. Along with Kinmen, Matsu was one of the territories held by the ROC after its forces were defeated in the Chinese Civil War. The islands remain under Taiwan’s control today, and are officially known as Lienchiang County (連江縣), a name shared with the neighboring county on China’s coastline.

Hsu Chih-peng, director of the political warfare division on Matsu, attends the museum's opening on Wednesday. (Taiwan News, Jono Thomson photo)

As the forces retreated to Matsu, the islands became a heavily militarized “frontline” of defense for the ROC and were designated a Battle Field Administration area. The classification refers to the imposition of martial law on the islands, which gave the military control of the territory’s governance and nearly all of its resources.

Extensive military propaganda and installations from that time remain a common sight on the islands, and the reopened museum provides context to how and why they came to be. Items on display include weapons, dioramas of the many military bunkers and forts scattered across the island, and descriptions of the lives of soldiers and locals who lived in Matsu during military rule.

The reopening of the museum was attended by local councilors, military officers, and by residents of nearby villages, several of whom could be heard sharing memories about the items displayed. Chen Tzu-kai’s (陳紫開) family has lived on Matsu’s Beigan island for multiple generations, and in an interview with Taiwan News, he described memories from his youth.

Chen Tzu-kai recounts memories of martial law in Matsu's Beigan on Feb. 28. (Taiwan News, Jono Thomson photo)

Chen noted that during the period of military administration, people from Matsu had to apply for a permit to travel to Taiwan, and residents of Taiwan were essentially barred from visiting the islands. He also described the separate currency that was used in Matsu during the period and recalled having to exchange it for New Taiwan Dollars when he visited Taiwan.

Chen is a former school principal and now runs a homestay in a converted military bunker, which is a minute's walk from the museum. When the ROC forces arrived in Matsu in the late 1940s, Chen’s family was removed from their land by the military, who built a fort there.

He was able to recover their property after martial law was lifted and has since converted the fort into a homestay. However, he said not all families were able to recover their land, as in some cases it is still used by the military today.

Tourists view one of Matsu's many military bunkers on Nangan island. (Taiwan News, Jono Thomson photo)

Despite the hardships endured during the military administration, many locals also noted gratitude for the protection provided by the military. Some older residents described how the massive military presence also created a local economy, that thrived on the spending of thousands of soldiers seeking entertainment and daily necessities.

Tourism officials said the museum’s opening comes in the lead up to peak tourist season, which often starts around April. Officials said the museum’s reopening marks an important development milestone for Matsu’s tourism industry and compliments the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that celebrates the islands’ local culture with installations throughout the county.

A diorama of Matsu’s military installations is shown in the Beigan War and Peace Museum. (Taiwan News, Jono Thomson photo)