The 2011 Kinmen Tunnel Music Festival, featuring the world’s only concerts on a canal in a passageway gouged out of rock, the Zhaishan Tunnel, will kick off Oct. 22, according to Kinmen National Park.
“Zhaishan Tunnel was used for military purposes in the past,” Sun Li-ting, an official with the park, said Sept. 6. “Carved out of granite, it is a natural amplifier with great acoustics.
“By hosting the festival in Zhaishan, we hope to heal the wounds of war, show off the different functions of the tunnel and promote tourism in Kinmen,” Sun said, adding that the event was first held in 2009 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Guningtou, in which Communist troops landed on Kinmen but were defeated by ROC forces, effectively preventing any assault on Taiwan proper.
According to Sun, renowned musicians to perform at the festival include cellist Chang Chen-chieh, a professor at National Taiwan Ocean University in Keelung City and art director for the event, harpist Hong Chi-mei, violinists Liang Chien-wen and Lin Tien-chi, violist Ho Chen-hung, pipa player Lin Chun-fan and soprano Lo Ming-fang.
“The musicians will perform on pontoon boats, floating down the waterway, while the audience will stand on the tunnel’s pathway, enjoying the music,” Sun said. “It will be a whole new experience for visitors.”
Zhaishan Tunnel is an A-shaped tunnel completed in 1966. Built to conceal small military craft, it measures 357 meters in length, 11.5 meters in width and 8 meters in height, and was opened to the public in 1998.
The festival is free and will run until Oct. 23, with six performances, Sun said. (THN)
Write to Grace Kuo at morningk@mail.gio.gov.tw