Some 800 participants, including veterans, local officials and military servicemen, took part in a public memorial ceremony Sunday at the Martyr's Shrine in Taiwushan on the outlying island of Kinmen to pay tribute to those who died in the '823 Battle' of Kinmen. The ceremony, part of a series of activities marking the 51st anniversary of the battle that involved mainly artillery shelling of the island group by China, was presided over by Maj. Gen. Lu Hsiao-jung, commander of the Kinmen Defense Command, and Kinmen Magistrate Lee Chu-feng. The dead were paid tribute with three ceremonial bows followed by the placing of a wreath at the foot of a memorial dedicated to those who fell in the battle. A group of approximately 100 veterans of the battle headed by Lu Fang-yen, leader of an association of battle veterans, also attended the ceremony. Lu Hsiao-jung said the fruits of democracy, freedom and prosperity that Taiwan people enjoy should be attributed to those who gave their lives in defense of the country. He added that despite improved relations between Taiwan and China, the people should still uphold the spirit of adventure and sacrifice possessed by the veterans, enhance their combat preparedness and ensure national security. Lu Fang-yen for his part said Taiwan's victory in the battle laid a solid foundation for accelerating the country's democratic and economic development and that the veterans should be given credit for their contributions. He further said the government should attach more importance to the rights and interests of the aging veterans and should provide them with proper benefits. The conflict began Aug. 23, 1958 when China launched a heavy bombardment on the Kinmen archipelago, which has a total surface area of just 150 square kilometers. Over the course of the next 44 days of non-stop barrages, Chinese troops fired approximately 470,000 shells, but failed to pound Kinmen into submission. 