Established in 1995, three years after parts of the island group were demilitarized following its service as a military garrison defending Taiwan against mainland China since the late 1940s, the park preserves numerous battlefield relics and serves as a reminder of the importance of peace.
“These historic sites have long stood as Kinmen’s top tourist destinations,” Tzeng Wei-hung, director of the national park, told Taiwan Today Feb. 15.
For example, the Guningtou Battle Museum in northwestern Kinmen memorializes the ROC army victory in a 56-hour conflict over communist forces that landed at Guningtou Oct. 25, 1949.
Another must-see site is the August 23 Artillery Battle Museum in the southeast commemorating a 44-day engagement with the communists in 1958. This was a pivotal victory for the ROC army, leading as it did to the communists’ abandonment of their plans to invade the offshore islands of Kinmen and Matsu.
The battle was so significant that its military artifacts are also displayed at the Hujingtou Battle Museum on Lieyu, also known as Little Kinmen, an islet to the southwest of Kinmen Island.
The Mashan Broadcasting and Observation Station, at Kinmen’s closest point to mainland China, only 2.3 kilometers away, used to broadcast political propaganda to the other side of the strait. Today curious tourists can peer at the mainland through high-powered binoculars, reliving the experience of military observers in time of war.
Military tunnels riddling the granite hills also evidence the island’s battlefield history. Completed in 1966, the Zhaishan Tunnel in the southwest is an impressive example. Originally used as a supply station for military boats, the 6-meter-wide and 3.5-meter-high tunnel features an A-shaped waterway stretching for nearly 360 meters.
“Kinmen’s battlefield relics actually extend from the mountains to the seashore,” said Chen Shu-yi, a guide for the national park. Observation stations, fortresses and pillboxes dot Taiwu Mountain and Mashan, while landmines and tunnels built for small boats are found along the coast.
Due to its decades-long service as a military outpost, Kinmen never underwent modern industrial development. This was a blessing in disguise, as it helped conserve much valuable cultural heritage and keep the ecosystem intact.
Prime examples are the traditional Fujian-style buildings in the 12 old-time villages currently under the park’s administration.
“Ancestral halls are the centers of these traditional communities,” Chen said. “As divine venues for worshipping ancestors, these symbolic structures are marked with sophisticated sculptures on the roofs, windows and beams.”
For instance, Qionglin—located at the heart of Kinmen Island—houses many red-brick residences with swallowtail roofs.
In western Kinmen’s Shuitou, buildings combining old Western and Chinese styles add to the architectural diversity. Most were put up by Kinmen natives running successful businesses in Southeast Asia. These include Teyueh Tower, built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and Jinshui Primary School, established in 1932.
While Kinmen National Park has a wealth of historic relics, the subtropical climate and relatively low human population also make it a paradise for migratory birds. From autumn to spring, a wide variety of colorful, rare fowl make their way to the marshes, intertidal zones, fish farms, forests and farmland of Kinmen. Lake Ci, an inland salt lake in the west, and Lake Tai in the east, a freshwater reservoir, are hot spots for bird-watchers.
“A total of 319 bird species have been sighted in Kinmen,” Tzeng said, adding that for a small island group, this figure is quite amazing.
The names alone are enough to pique one’s interest: the Caspian tern, collared crow, great crested grebe, hoopoe, magpie robin and Chinese pond heron, to give just a few.
“The great cormorant—our wintering bird superstar—arrives from Siberia in October and stays until late March,” Chen said. “Its appearance serves as an indicator of Kinmen’s pristine environment.”
At sunset, thousands of these birds return from feeding in the sea off Kinmen, weaving a spectacular scene in the blue sky as they come in to perch on the trees surrounding Lake Ci, Chen added.
In summer, the blue-tailed bee-eater is the most eye-catching, with its feathers in vivid yellow, green and blue. It is seen mostly in farmland or along the seashore in east Kinmen.
In addition to all the wildfowl, 71 kinds of butterflies have been spotted in the island group, including the common mime—a rare species not found on Taiwan proper.
In the future, the park will remain committed to its role in preserving all of Kinmen’s treasures, Tzeng said. “For example, we now provide subsidies encouraging residents in traditional villages to maintain or renovate their old houses.”
Meanwhile, the park will continue transforming abandoned military facilities into exhibition halls or museums to strengthen local tourism resources, Tzeng added.
As part of effort to encourage tourists to adopt low-carbon travel, the park administration has established cycling paths and offers bicycle rental services in Gugang, Guningtou, Lieyu and Taiwu Mountain areas.
“Kinmen’s flat roads and tree-lined boulevards make cycling a perfect way to tour the island,” Chen said. “No wonder cyclists consider the county a Shangri-La for biking.” (THN)
Write to Elaine Hou at elainehou@mail.gio.gov.tw