The local government of the Matsu Islands, an outpost during the years of military confrontation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, is offering to help surviving veterans who served on the islands between the 1950s and 1990s to search for people, special sites or old memories tied to the islands.
A Lienchiang County Government Department of Culture spokesman said the small islands, about 10 nautical miles (18.5km) from China, have welcomed an increasing number of tourists in recent years, but many are not aware that Matsu was an important military post for more than four decades until 1992, when it shed its military role.
Calling it a special mission, the department said it believes the initiative, open until the end of the month, could help many former soldiers and island residents accomplish unfulfilled dreams of their youth.
With a total population of a little more than 10,000 residents, they have in recent years drawn eco-travelers from around the world who come for the luminescent sea algae that appears between spring and summer.
The phenomenon of the electric blue dots swimming along the coastline, known as “blue tears,” has made an international name for Matsu.
The Department of Culture hopes that through its latest initiative, a string of interesting stories about the islands will add to the attraction of Matsu.
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