Taiwan Today

The offshore island archipelago of Matsu is planning to transform itself from a military zone into a major tourist destination, officials said. Located only a kilometer away from mainland China, Matsu stood as Taiwan’s first line of defense against a possible invasion by the Chinese communists throughout the Cold War. But with relations between Taiwan and the mainland now on the mend, officials at both the local and central level are now working to open the once-forbidden islands to sightseers. The Cabinet-level Ministry of Transportation and Communications helped provide funds last year, for instance, for the building of the world’s tallest stone statue of Ma Zu, the goddess of fishermen after whom the islands are named (in the old spelling). And on March 29 Mao Chi-kuo, minister of MOTC, attended the unveiling ceremony of a new museum in Matsu, the War and Peace Memorial Museum. The hundreds and thousands of young men who fulfilled their compulsory military service duties by serving in Matsu are potentially a significant source of tourists, Mao noted. “According to the military, at least three million young men have served in Matsu,” Mao said. “If these men were to come back to visit with their families, and if each family has an average of four people, that would mean 12 million tourists right there.” To help make these visits possible, the Tourism Bureau under the MOTC is working together with the officials from Lienchiang County, which administers Matsu, to provide discounted Matsu tour packages. Another potential pool of tourists are residents of the mainland Chinese city of Fuzhou, only a stone’s throw away from Matsu, said officials from the Tourism Bureau. Observers said its very war culture is what sets Matsu apart from other tourist spots. It has a higher density of tunnels and warrens than any other place on earth, for instance. Excluding those still in use by the military, Matsu also has 256 air raid shelters and pillboxes, they noted. Other tourist attractions include the islands’ intertidal zones and the Chinese crested tern that visit the islands in season, according to Gu Yung-yuan, director of the Matsu Scenic Area Administration. The Formosan sika deer that currently roam the deserted Daqiu Island are also noteworthy, Gu said, adding that his administration will soon build pavements that will enable tourists to get close to the deer. The military has agreed in principle that Yuntai Mountain in Nangan Township can be opened to the public for group tours in August, a spokesman for the armed forces said. (HZW)