Seminar held on Kinmen to mark 60th anniversary of Guningtou battle

Forty-one veterans of the battle were invited to attend the event, where they were paid tribute for their devotion to protecting the country.

The seminar was organized by the Kinmen National Park Administration and the Kinmen County Veterans Service Office.

Tseng Wei-hung, head of the park administration, noted that the battle of Guningtou was a crucial fight that helped Taiwan ward off the danger of being seized by the Chinese communists.

By analyzing and assessing the successes and failures of the battle, the seminar was aimed at providing lessons for people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and highlighting the value of peace, said Tseng.

The battle of Guningtou took place Oct. 25-27, 1949, when nearly 10,000 communist troops in 200 ships invaded the Taiwanese frontline stronghold of Kinmen, which lies just off the coast of China, as a prelude to seizing Taiwan.

In the ensuing fierce three-day battle, the invaders were utterly routed, losing nearly 4,000 soldiers, with another 5,200 captured.

The defeat brought a 10-year halt to Beijing's attempts to take Taiwan by force. In 1958, the communists began a protracted bombardment of Kinmen, but again failed to seize any part of the island.

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