War and Peace Memorial Park Introduction
The Ironman has come to guard; a battlefield park transformed from a military outpost. Dawo Mountain in Beigan, Matsu, was originally a military stronghold. In 2003, the Matsu National Scenic Area Administration began planning it as a War and Peace Memorial Park. The completion of outpost 08 marked the conclusion of this planning, transforming it into Taiwan's first war memorial park centered on the concepts of military and peace. The park covers a large area of approximately 38.8 hectares, primarily including outposts 06, 08, and 12, and serves as the prototype for Taiwan's first war park, themed around "War and Peace" and "Emotion and Memory." Due to strategic confidentiality, outpost names are often referred to by numbers. Outposts 06 and 08, located next to the War and Peace Memorial Park, were built between rock faces, with the main outdoor exhibition area concentrated at outpost 08, while outpost 12 is situated between Luosha Mountain and Banshan Mountain. **Outpost 06** is located atop Dawo Mountain in Beigan and offers distant views of Dakou, Gading, and Shiyu. Outpost 06 is a small tunnel featuring an ammunition depot and numerous shooting ports, each serving as excellent viewing windows, allowing visitors to experience the military life of that time. The tunnel is quite humid, and water droplets accumulate in small grooves along the steps and corner walls, making it easy to imagine the hardships faced by the soldiers stationed here, who not only had to remain vigilant but also endured physical exhaustion. The tunnel includes spaces for gun ports, a main gun, a secondary gun, an ammunition depot, the commander's room, the guidance officer's room, a Zhongshan room, and barracks for officers and soldiers, making it an important operational outpost for defending the administrative center and airport of Beigan. Today, the tunnel has become one of the most attractive sights in the War and Peace Park. **Outpost 08** is primarily designed for weapon exhibitions, featuring heavy weaponry such as anti-aircraft guns, trucks, and tanks scattered throughout, as well as displays in the existing barracks. The War Relics Exhibition Hall showcases machine guns, uniforms, and propaganda materials, all actual items used in the past, creating a historical atmosphere of warfare and witnessing the tense war situation across the strait. This site offers visitors the best opportunity to experience the battlefield landscape firsthand. Utilizing the environmental advantages of Dawo Mountain and its vast area, it is constructed between rock faces. To reach the outpost, visitors must first walk down a staircase built along a cliff, which heightens the sense of tension and underscores the outpost's steep and perilous location. The internal structure is tunnel-like; though simple, it has good living functionality, even featuring a private bedroom for the commanding officer, highlighting the scale of the troops stationed there at that time. Outpost 08 encapsulates the wartime landscape and historical features of the Matsu region. By introducing the area's military strategy history, war knowledge, and simulated environmental functions, it enhances the presentation of the military role throughout Matsu’s history, weaving together a rich narrative for visitors to deeply experience and comprehend Matsu's significance in the historical currents, transforming Matsu's time of transformation into a spatial performance to inspire future generations.
