Taiwan Today

Taiwan’s outlying Kinmen County boasts a blend of distinct attractions from statues that command the weather to historical homestays and battleground relics.

The upward sweep of swallowtail roof ridges dominates the skyline of Shuitou in Kinmen County. The village, which dates back hundreds of years, is tucked into the southwest corner of the main island and is home to dozens of Fujian-style homes distinguished by their carved stonework, graceful lines and red bricks. Mixed in with these old structures are Western-influenced buildings, whose square edifices emerge like angular blocks.

“Visitors exploring the village will come across something exciting at every turn,” said Chen Lung-sheng (陳隆盛‬), a senior guide from the Interpretation and Education Section of Kinmen National Park (KMNP) Headquarters. “Traditional communities like Shuitou are treasure troves of culture.”

This rich and eclectic heritage is not the only reason sightseers make the short flight from Taiwan proper to visit the islands. Kinmen is packed full of unique attractions from lion statues that trap the wind in their gaping mouths to battlefield relics—the legacy of cross-strait conflict. The extent to which Kinmen’s identity is wrapped up in its past can be seen in how KMNP, which makes up one quarter of the county’s total land area of 152 square kilometers, is the only national park in Taiwan that focuses primarily on the preservation of historical and military sites.

Community Building

Kinmen was settled as early as the fourth century. Over the past several hundred years, residents established communities—mostly built up around clans—and constructed homes, ancestral halls and private schools. A prime example in Shuitou is the Huang Family Youtang Garden Villa, dating from 1765 and one of nine national historic sites in the county. It has a curved stone bridge slicing a pond into moon-shaped and sun-shaped segments. The most intact of these heritage buildings are largely located within the boundaries of the national park.

Around 100 years ago, the architecture underwent an abrupt transformation after local merchants, unsettled by social unrest in China at the time, headed off to countries in Southeast Asia to make their fortunes. “Since much of the region was colonized by Europeans, they became heavily influenced by Western culture,” Chen said. When they came back to Kinmen in the 1920s and 1930s, they used their wealth to build new homes employing foreign styles that had caught their eye. One of the most imposing is Chen Jing-lan’s (陳景蘭) House in the center of the county, a white mansion with arched verandas. The businessman, who made his riches in Singapore, financed the structure that was finished in 1921.

Decades of martial law from 1949 through 1992 left Kinmen relatively isolated from the development taking place throughout the rest of Taiwan, thus offering the historical homes a degree of protection, Chen said. Yang Wen-bin (楊文斌), a local artist who paints watercolors, said it was impossible to travel around freely during that time, but once martial law was lifted, “I felt a great urge to explore and portray my hometown and to this day I still find so much in Kinmen that inspires me.”

Historical Homes

Although they escaped demolition, the ravages of inclement weather and the passage of time have taken their toll on these old buildings. Understanding their heritage value, KMNP initiated a program to renovate and repurpose them and to date 72 have been converted into homestays with another 35 turned into exhibition spaces. Grace Yen (顏湘芬) has been leasing a rehabilitated Fujian-style residence in Shuitou from the national park and running it as a guesthouse since 2005. “By spending a night in a restored house, visitors to Kinmen get a chance to really experience how people lived in the past rather than just admiring the buildings from the outside,” she said.

Yen, like many other young people from Kinmen, chose to leave the island and move to Taiwan proper once she had graduated from high school. She worked in the tourism sector in Taipei City for many years, but was convinced to return to her hometown after observing the success of the KMNP renovation project. She now manages three homestays in Shuitou with space for more than 40 guests. During high season, her occupancy rate regularly hits 90 percent, she said.

A recent recipient of considerable restoration attention is Qionglin community in the middle of the main island. The village is composed of old houses centered around the Qionglin Cai Ancestral Shrine, another national historic site. In 2012, the community became a local government-recognized traditional settlement, the only one in Kinmen.

Qionglin was a natural choice for funding when the Bureau of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture launched its three-year Historic Sites Regeneration Project nationwide in 2017. That initiative provided the village with 70 percent of the NT$207.8 million (US$6.75 million) budget for a program to rejuvenate its rich tangible and intangible heritage resources. The remainder of the funds came from the local government’s Cultural Affairs Bureau (CAB). One project is focusing on killing termites and fungi destroying wooden structures while another is replacing the drums and bells used in ancestor worship rituals, a government-designated folk custom.

“Just as important has been the work of researchers investigating and documenting cultural assets, such as artifacts, ballads and customs,” according to Jimmy Su (蘇忠誠‬), who heads the CAB’s Qionglin project under its Cultural Heritage Division. “Their work is laying a solid foundation for future preservation efforts.”

Wind Lions to Wind Instruments

Heritage homes are a valuable tourism resource, but they are not unique to Kinmen. However, the island group is virtually the only place in Taiwan where wind lions can be found. These remarkable stone or clay statues are traditionally placed in open locations such as village entrances to guard against fierce gales or around homes to protect those inside from evil spirits. They first appeared in the 16th century, according to the CAB. There are more than 70 scattered around the island and the local government has awarded them the status of a designated folk custom. They are usually portrayed standing up with a fabric cape draped over their shoulders.

Equally impressive is the Wentai Pagoda, built in 1387 as a reference point for seafarers. The 6.6-meter structure hewn from granite is another of Kinmen’s nationally recognized historic sites.

The island is also steeped in intangible heritage resources. Kinmen Traditional Music Hall, which opened in 2015 in a renovated section of the Old House of Ciou’s Family, is overseen by the local government and managed by the Kinmen Traditional Music Orchestra. Its members perform a style of classical music called nanguan that has developed a distinct local flavor by giving the dongxiao, a bamboo flute played vertically, more prominence. That lends Kinmen melodies a different sound from those played by troupes from Taiwan proper, said Hsu Ming-feng (許銘豐), leader of the 40-plus ensemble.

The orchestra occasionally stages performances in the hall, as well as at the Quemoy Command Headquarters, the former office of the highest-ranking military general in Kinmen during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Both are local government-recognized historic sites. “It’s captivating to listen to traditional music in a heritage building,” Hsu said.

Battleground Relics

Kinmen, located less than 10 kilometers from Xiamen in China, is arguably most famous for its more recent history as a battleground in the Taiwan Strait. Military structures and relics from 1949 to the 1980s are key targets of KMNP preservation programs. The national park examines forts and other facilities handed over by the Ministry of National Defense, earmarking those that are historically or architecturally significant for protection and possible renovation.

The decades of hostilities are relived in the bunkers, daubed in camouflage paint and sunk into grassy outcrops that line the coastline. One fortification, at the fabled site of the Battle of Guningtou October 1949—a decisive engagement in which soldiers repelled invading troops—is decorated in murals that depict the fierce fighting. Just outside is the arresting sight of rows of hundreds of anti-landing spikes stretching as far as the eye can see.

For those curious about the facts and figures behind Kinmen’s military past, Guningtou War Museum nearby covers the 1949 conflict. The August 23 Artillery Battle Museum in the southeast of the main island tells the story of a ferocious 44-day clash that started in August 1958.

Man-made tunnels snake throughout the rugged landscape. The most famous is Zhaishan, the county’s signature military facility constructed in the 1960s. Once a supply station, it is now high on the list of tourist hotspots after it was opened to the public in 1998. In 2009, it became the venue of the annual Kinmen Tunnel Music Festival, with performances benefiting from the extraordinary acoustics of the underground passage. Performers play from floating rafts while the audience listens from a walkway. Last year, 1,400 people bought tickets for the weekend of shows including one by a vocalist who sang about the life of Kinmen’s soldiers.

There are still areas out of bounds for security reasons, but slowly these are being opened up to the public, expanding the region’s attractions. The most recent addition is Dadan Island. From March 1, visitors to the tiny islet, about 12 kilometers to the west of the main island, can tour sights such as Bei An Temple, broadcast stations and old propaganda signs.

“The military facilities and war museums are important reminders of the crucial role Kinmen plays in ensuring Taiwan’s future,” Chen said. “But they’re just one part of what people come to see.” Whether soaking up the yesteryear atmosphere of heritage villages, hunting down the grinning wind lion guardians or pondering the relics of the Cold War, Kinmen is one of Taiwan’s most surprising and rewarding cultural destinations. 

Write to Oscar Chung at mhchung@mofa.gov.tw