In 1949, the Kuomintang government, having lost the civil war in mainland China, retreated to Taiwan, a place from which there was no further retreat. To secure this last foothold, the government declared martial law.
民國三十八年，國府兵敗來台，退無可退；為了力保最後一塊領土，頒佈了戒嚴令，從此這個純樸小島便進入人人自危的時代。