As one of the front line islands between the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China, ROC-occupied Quemoy has seen many battles and tensions between the two throughout the Cold War. It was generally understood by both the ROC and the PRC that if Quemoy fell to the PRC, Taiwan itself would follow.

List of battles over Quemoy:

• Battle of Kuningtou
• First Taiwan Strait Crisis
• Second Taiwan Strait Crisis

After the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis ended in stalemate, both sides settled upon a routine of bombarding each other every other day with shells containing propaganda leaflets. ROC troops on Quemoy continued constructing tunnels, bunkers, and other underground facilities. Commandos (often known as 水鬼, or "water ghosts" by ROC troops) were sent by both sides to conduct sabatoge or attack lone sentries. The bombardment finally ended in 1979 with the establishment of formal diplomatic ties between the United States and the PRC.

See also

• Chinese Civil War
• Political status of Taiwan
• Third Taiwan Strait Crisis

External links

• Kinmen National Park
• GlobalSecurity.org page on Taiwan
• ROC Ministry of National Defense: War History (in Chinese)
• PRC Government portal (in Chinese)
• ROC Tourism Bureau article on Kuningtou (in Chinese)
• United Daily News article (in Chinese)