Taiwan and China should work together to preserve Cold War historical sites that will remind modern-day people of the importance of peace, Culture Minister Lung Ying-tai said on Monday during a trip to the outlying Kinmen County.
She called Kinmen - a former military frontline against Chinese aggression - an 'authentic Cold War museum' because of its perfectly preserved military facilities from its half-century isolation during the Cold War.
'Taiwan's battlefield culture is a world-class heritage asset,' the Minister stated on her June 17 visit to Kinmen's Dadan islet, which is still a restricted military area, to inspect battlefield sites and cultural resources in preparation for the opening of the islet to tourism.
With improved relations across the Taiwan Strait, Lung said Taiwan and China should join hands to preserve these sites, which she said can also be seen in Xiamen on the southeast coast of China.
The government plans to withdraw troops from Kinmen's Dadan and Erdan islets and open the islets up to tourism within the next three years.
No civilians currently live on Dadan and Erdan, which lie only about four kilometers from Xiamen and served as frontline military outposts during the Cold War.
"Taiwan’s battlefield culture is a world-class heritage asset," Culture Minister Lung Ying-tai stated on her visit to the outlying Kinmen County on June 17, 2013.
Culture Minister Lung Ying-tai (fourth left) is pictured with the Ministry of National Defense’s special de-mining troops in Kinmen on June 17, 2013.
A cluster munition specialist stationed in Kinmen demonstrates how to operate de-mining equipment to Culture Minister Lung Ying-tai (right) on June 17, 2013.