Movie still via YouTube user Ablaze Image. Kinmen was made the first line of defense against the Communists during the Cold War. At one point, it was the most heavily militarized spot on the planet, with over , active soldiers stationed there. It was a fortress of cramped bomb shelters, hidden land mines, and regular shelling from the mainland—not what most would call a fun place.
Unit , the bureau in charge of managing the brothels, oversaw 11 locations on the island. It was a policy put in place to solve a problem: The pent-up stress from living under threat of swift death was affecting discipline and military efficiency. There were incidents of soldiers raping local girls, and regular visits to the whorehouse was ostensibly a way of alleviating such issues. Unit was in operation on Kinmen up until , when pressure from local feminist groups finally forced the last bordello to close.
Today, the legacy of is a mixed bag. Syril Hung is a local business owner who grew up on the island, and his views on Unit are probably meant to sound blithely pragmatic. The museum itself is a former brothel. It consists of a breezy courtyard surrounded by simple rooms, each with a bed, cabinet, mirror, and bathroom. I couldn't tell if the wordings on the signs were intentional double entendres:. In the aforementioned movie, Paradise in Service , such double entendres provide the movie's comic relief.
One for the ladies and one for the Commies," carols a marching group of privates. The virgin protagonist, Pao, is determined to save himself for his girlfriend back home, a goal made all the harder while surrounded by sweaty, loud, and constant copulation.
The film touches on issues of national identity, filial obligation, separation, loneliness, military infighting, political propaganda, and gender roles. It is the first production of its kind to take a swing at this controversial period of Taiwanese history, and Niu pulls it off with subtlety and style. Despite its weaponized past, Kinmen today is solitary and rural.
