On September 3, 1954, the People’s Republic of China (PRC or China), under the leadership of Chairman Mao Zedong, launched a massive artillery bombardment on Nationalist-controlled (Taiwan) Quemoy and Matsu islands off the provincial coast of Fujian, triggering the First Taiwan Strait Crisis. Ultimately, the United States, which took a great interest in the region, resorted to nuclear threats in early spring of 1955. Altogether, it took an agonizing eight months of tensions and threats before the Chinese were willing to negotiate. Nonetheless, hostilities erupted again on August 23, 1958. The second crisis, however, stood out for its swift resolution.