DATE: Wednesday, October 25, 2023
TIME: 18:30-20:00
LOCATION: SIN 1, at the Department for East Asian Studies/Chinese Studies, Altes AKH, Campus, Spitalgasse 2, Yard 2, Entrance 2.3

The Matsu archipelago, located in the northwest of Taiwan Strait and composed of 36 islands, is geographically closed to the Chinese Mainland and had been functioned as the military frontline by the Nationalist Government in Taiwan against Chinese Communism since 1949. The role of the islands as a stronghold along the Pacific Ocean during the Cold War was reassured by the U.S. Government. For decades, the islands were not easily accessible for the ordinary people from Taiwan because of the military control. The function of the military front was lifted on the midnight of 13th May, 1994 and a new role is envisioned for both domestic residents and outsiders. In 2009, the military cultural landscape of Matsu was chosen by the government in Taiwan as a potential World Heritage site and beginning from 2016, a series projects named “Battlefield Transformation, Heritage Translation and Regeneration” started which foresee the Matsu Biennale Since 2022. The lecture will tell the amazing story of the changes of this remote archipelago.

For more information, please refer to the attached PDF