Introduction
As the front line of cross-strait confrontation, Kinmen was the site of four broadcasting stations, namely Mashan, Guningtou, Hujingtou, and Dadan, erected by the Psychological Warfare Battalion of the Ministry of National Defense, which was responsible for political propaganda. Of the four, Dadan and Mashan are considered more representative. The former was established in 1950 on the southwest side of Lieyu (Little Kinmen) and served as a primary base for monitoring movements along China’s coastline, psychological warfare broadcasts, and aerial leaflet distribution. The latter was established in 1954 in Jinsha Township on Kinmen Island, and as the closest point to China, its location is ideal for surveillance and broadcasting messages across the strait.
This fonds of Kinmen Broadcasting Stations comprises twenty-one photographs which were originally held by Second Lieutenant Chih-cheng Ma (?–?, then sergeant major). These invaluable photographs show the daily life of broadcasting station members as they operated under the seriousness of the war and with limited freedom. Perhaps of most value is a group photo of Chiang Kai-shek with the entire broadcasting station staff during his visit, a glimpse of the work taking place within psychological warfare. Following their digitization and preservation by the Archives, the original photographs have been returned to Second Lieutenant Ma.
This fonds of Kinmen Broadcasting Stations comprises twenty-one photographs which were originally held by Second Lieutenant Chih-cheng Ma (?–?, then sergeant major). These invaluable photographs show the daily life of broadcasting station members as they operated under the seriousness of the war and with limited freedom. Perhaps of most value is a group photo of Chiang Kai-shek with the entire broadcasting station staff during his visit, a glimpse of the work taking place within psychological warfare. Following their digitization and preservation by the Archives, the original photographs have been returned to Second Lieutenant Ma.