Kinmen National Park Headquarters (the HQ) under the Ministry of the Interior was awarded the highest honor, “Outstanding Award,” in the Ministry of Environment’s 2024 National Environmental Education Action Plan Execution Results Evaluation. The park’s “Execution results of the 75th Anniversary Battle of Guningtou Environmental Education”  was submitted on behalf of the Ministry of the Interior. The award ceremony, held today (September 18), saw Kinmen National Park Director Cheng Rui-chang receiving the award, a symbolic recognition of the park’s innovative integration of historical heritage and environmental education.

The National Park Service explained that in 2024, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Guningtou, a pivotal moment in Taiwan’s history, Kinmen National Park launched an environmental education program with two main focuses: Exhibition Hall Revitalization and Diverse Educational Activities. Centered on the core theme of heroic national defense, the updated Guningtou Battle Museum presents personal stories from soldiers who fought in the battle, providing visitors with a vivid and authentic understanding of war, while preserving and passing down the spirit of bravery. The program also included an immersive experience, titled “Impressions of the Kinmen Battle 1949,” which used technology to recreate the battle’s intensity, helping visitors feel the tension and valor of the soldiers who defended the island.

The Service mentioned several creative environmental educational activities that made history more tangible, such as the 75th Anniversary Commemoration of the Battle of Guningtou, to which war hero Ouyang Jun, a veteran of the battle, was invited to Kinmen to share firsthand accounts of the fierce combat and camaraderie. A battlefield walking tour was organized in cooperation with the Guningtou community, allowing participants to retrace the paths of street fighting in the settlement. A shooting experience environmental education program, co-hosted with Kinmen Senior High School at the Guningtou 3rd Camp, combined battlefield puzzle-solving with non-lethal water gun battles, offering students an immersive way to understand the military’s resilience and spirit.

Finally, the National Park Service emphasized that this award not only affirms Kinmen National Park’s dedication to the preservation, maintenance, and revitalization of battlefield cultural landscapes but also showcases its innovative approach to environmental education. In the future, the Service will continue to build partnerships with local communities and leverage the unique features of each national park to promote ecological education nationwide, helping more people connect history with ecology and experience the power of sustainable development.