Ultimate Guide To Kinmen 金門極限指南

Kinmen (aka Jinmen or Quemoy) is a group of islands off the coast of Xiamen, China, belonging to Taiwan. For years it was the front lines ... Home首頁 Blog部落格 TaiwanFAQ常見問題 BlogIndex部落格指南 Maps地圖 About關於我們 ContactUs聯絡我們 Privacy隱私 Home首頁 Blog部落格 TaiwanFAQ常見問題 BlogIndex部落格指南 Maps地圖 About關於我們 ContactUs聯絡我們 Privacy隱私 BlogPosts TheUltimateGuideToKinmen金門極限指南 3/8/2019 1Comment   Share Tweet Kinmen(akaJinmenorQuemoy)isagroupofislandsoffthecoastofXiamen,China,belongingtoTaiwan.ForyearsitwasthefrontlinesandclosestterritorytoChinaduringtheChineseCivilWar,whichhasnotofficiallyended.NowthatthewarwithChinahascometoacloseduetotheestablishmentofthe"statusquo,"Kinmenhasbeenopentotourism,especiallyfromthatofChina.KinmenhasthehighestconcentrationofmuseumsandhistoricalbuildingsinalmostanywhereinTaiwan,aswellaslocalcuisine,beaches,andscenery,makingitanidealvacationdestinationforbothTaiwanese,Chinese,andotherforeigntourists. Background: KinmenfirstbegantobesettledbyChinesepeopleintheTangDynasty(around700AD).Itgotit;snameJinmen"GoldenGate"fromtheHongwuEmporerwhosetupmilitaryoperationsonthemainIslandduringtheMingDynastyin1387.ThenameQuemoycomesfromtheHokkienpronunciationofthename. AfterthefalloftheMingDynasty(1644),MingLoyalistscontinuedtooccupyKinmenunderthePrinceofLuandKongxia,butKinmenwaseventuallycapturedbytheQingin1663. TheIslandswerenevercededtoJapan. AfterthefalloftheQingDynasty,Kinmen(alongwiththerestofChina)wasgovernedbytheRepublicofChina(ROC).WhentheROClosttheChineseCivilWar,theyretreatedtoTaiwanundertheleadershipofChiangKai-shek,butstillmaintainingsomeoutlyingislandsoffofthewestcoastofChina.TheROCarmydugintoKinmenandfortifiedalmosteveryinchoftheisland,holdingoffPRCinvasion.PerhapsthemostpivotalbattleinholdingoffthecommunistswasthebattleofGuningtouinwhich9,000PRCtroopsweredefeatedandcapturedinanattempttotakebacktheislandofKinmen.ThebattleeffectivelystoppedthePRCfromadvancingtowardinvasionofTaiwan,becausein1950theKoreanWarstarted,demandingmuchoftheirmanpower,buyingtimeuntiltheSino-AmericanMutualDefenseTreatywassignedin1955,offeringprotectionbytheUnitedStates.againstPRCinvasionofTaiwan.Becauseofthis,thebattlelaidthegroundworkforthestatusquobetweenChinaandTaiwanasweknowittoday. Kinmenwaskeptasamilitaryreserveuntilitwasmadeintoaciviliangovernmentinthe1990s.TravelwasreopenedwithChinain2001,whichreallyopenedthedoorforthetourismsectorontheislandsmainlydrivenbyChinesetourists.ManybusinessmenalsomovedtotheislandtogaineasyentryintoChinafromTaiwan.In2015theTaiwanesegovernmentmadeiteasierforChinesetouriststovisitKinmenbyallowingthemtoapplyforviaonarrival. Currentlytheisland'smainindustryistourism,butthereisalsolargeSorghumWineproductionindustry,aswellasagricultureandfishing. KinmenisastrongholdfortheKMTparty,mainlybecausetheresidentsresentthefactthatmanyinthepro-independenceDPPwouldconsiderreturningKinmentoChinainanindependencetreaty. Whentogo: Autumnissaidtobethebesttimetovisit,whentherearestillwarmtemperatureandnottoomuchrainfall.Springalsohasgreattemperatures,butseasonalrainsmaydampenyourtravels.Summercangetreallyhot,whichmightbetotallyfinewithyou.Thewinteriscoldandwindy;don'tgoinwinter. Howtogetthere: ByPlane:TheonlywaytogettofromTaiwantoKinmenisviaaairplane.PlanesleavedailyfromTaipei,Taichung,Chiayi,Tainan,Penghu,andKaohsiung. ByBoat:YoucanreachKinmenfromXiamenatWutongport(五通碼頭)orQuanzhouatShijingPort(石井碼頭),connectingatShuitouPort(水頭碼頭). Map:Pleaseseebelow: ​Thisblogwillcoverthefollowingplaces: ​ShengZuFoods聖祖食品 ShuitouPier水頭碼頭 ​JuguangTower莒光樓 MaoshanTower茅山塔 ShuitouVillage水頭村 DeyueGunTower得月樓 ​ZhushanVillage珠山聚落 GugangLake 古崗湖 GugangTower古崗樓 ​ZhaishanTunnels翟山坑道 KinmenNationalPark金門國家公園 ​TheAncientCityofKinmen 金門城 WentaiTower文台寶塔 OucuoBeach歐厝沙灘 ​LittleKinmen(Lieyu)小金門(烈嶼) KinmenLandMineMuseum 地雷展示館 ​MaoGongShiIslandRecreationArea 猫公石滨海休憩區 LittleKinmenHujingtou BattleMuseum小金門湖井頭戰史舘​ ​JiugongTunnels九宮坑道 BadaTower八達樓子 JiangongIslet建功嶼 JinchengSeasidePark金城海濱休閑公園 KinmenQingDynastyMilitaryHeadquarters金門清朝總兵署​ ​LiangJinFarm良金牧場 CihuLake慈湖 ​GulongtouShuiweiPagoda古龍頭水尾塔  ​KinmenHeping(Peace)MemorialPark金門和平紀念公園 ​BeishanOldHouse北山古洋樓 BattleofGuningtouMuseum古寧頭戰史舘 BeishanBroadcastingTower北山廣播墻 TaiwuMountain太武山 MashanObservationPost馬山觀測所 ​ChenChing-lon'sHouse陳景蘭洋樓 Carrefour家樂福 ​WindLionPlazaMall風獅爺購物廣場 ​ ​OurJourney: IhavebeentoKinmenonce,duringa4day,3nighttripthatwasstillnotlongenoughtoseeeverythingontheisland.WetookourtripattheendofOctober.Theweatherwasnice,butitwasstillabittoocoldtoenjoythebeaches.  WetookanafternoonflightfromTaipeiSongshanAirpot(whichisinthemiddleofTaipeiCity),landinginKinmen45minuteslater.Ourplaneticketswerecheap,only3000NTperpersonroundtrip(around100USD)withMandarinAirlines.AboveisaviewofShuitouharborfromtheplane;youcanseeourhostelinthephoto. ShengZuFoods聖祖食品 Ifyouarelookingforgiftstosendtoyourrelatives,looknofurtherthanShengZuFoods,whichsellsoneofKinmen'smostfamousdelicacies:peanutcandies(貢糖gong4tang2),whichislikepeanutbrittle.Theysellthem rightintheairport(forthesamepriceattheirstore). ​Afterleavingtheairport,werentedascooterfor800NTforthreeandahalfdays(about250NTperday),usingmyTaiwandriver'slicense.Therentalplacewasniceenoughtosendourluggagetoourhostelforfree(atypicalserviceforthescooterrentalplacesattheairport)!Ifthescooterrentalplaceinsidetheairportissoldout,thereisanotherscooterrentalplaceacrossthestreetfromtheairportentrancewithanalmostendlesssupplyofscooters.Ifyouwanttoavoidahassle,youshouldbookascooterorcarrentalinadvance. ShuitouPier水頭碼頭 WedroveofftoourhostelnexttoShuitouHarbor(picturedabove).IfyouarecomingfromXiamen,China,theferrywilldropyouoffatthisharbor. JuguangTower莒光樓 ThefirstplaceIrecommendgoingtoisJuguangTower. Kinmen'sJuguangTowerislikeanintroductionfortherestoftheisland.Muchoftheisland'shistoryandculturecanbeunderstoodjustbyaquickwalkthroughthesehalls.ThetoweralsoprovidesaniceviewofKinmenandXiamenHarbor. ForourfullblogonJuguangTower,clickhere. MaoshanTower茅山塔 WedidnotactuallygotoJuguangTowerfirst;wewenttoMaoshanTowerwhichwasrightnexttoourhostel.Itis anancientpagodadatingtothe14thcenturyADthatsitsontopofahillonthesouthwestsideofKinmenIsland.Itisoneofthreesimilarpagodasontheislandbuiltaroundthesametime. Fromthetopofthehill,onecanseepristineviewsoftheXiamenHarbor,theTaiwanstrait,andKinmenIsland.Thehiketakesabout10minutesandisdefinitelyworthastoponyourtriptoKinmen. ​ForourfullblogaboutMaoshanTower,clickhere. ShuitouVillage水頭村 AlsoclosetoourhostelwasShuitouVillage. ShuitouVillageisperhapsthemostvisitedhistoricalvillageinKinmen.ItfeaturesmansionsfromsomeofthewealthiestmerchantsinKinmenatthetime,preservingwesternstylemixedwithtraditionalSouthernMinstyle architecture.Walkingthroughthisvillagegivesyouauniquetime-periodviewofKinmen'shistory. ForourfullblogonShuitouVillage,clickhere.  DeyueGunTower得月樓 DeyueGunTowerinShuitouVillagewasoncethehighestbuildinginKinmen,originallybuiltbyawealthymerchanttodefendagainstpiratesandthieves.Theintricatelydecoratedtowerandsurroundingbuildingswerealsoasignofwealthandpowertotherestoftheisland.Itisoneofthemostvisitedattractionsontheisland,andguidedtoursareoffereddaily. ForourfullblogonDeyueGunTower,clickhere. InandnearShuitouvillage,therearemanyabandonedoldhouseslikethisone. Someoftheoldhousessitrightnexttootherstuff,likethisbasketballcourt. ZhushanVillage珠山聚落 Zhushanvillage(akaJhushanVillage)isanotheroldvillagenearShuitouvillage,featuringmanywellpreservedMinnanhousesaswellascommemorationofthe823ArtilleryBombardmentwithagiantbombshellinthisphoto.I'lltalkmoreaboutthatbattlelater. Touristsenjoyingthesceneryinthisauthenticoldvillage. AMapandsomemoreinformationaboutZhushanVillage: "JhushanisasettlementfoundedbytheSyue(xue1薛)clanbackin1345.Houseswerebuiltalongtheslopesofthehills,allfacingthereserviorinthemiddleofthesettlement.Intermsoffeng-shui,thedesignenablesallwealthtogatherintothevillage,thereservoir,theancestralshrineandtheJhushanhillsfromaclearanddistinctoutline,makingJhushansettlementanimportanthistoricalsite." GugangLakeandGugangTower古崗湖和古崗樓 NearbyZhushanvillageisGugangLake,withGugangtowersittingonapeninsulaonthelake.GugangLakeisthelastremainingnaturallakeonKinmen.Guguangtowerwascompletedin1964 andisthreestorieshigh.It'sdefinitelyanicepeacefulspottorelax. ​ ZhaishanTunnels翟山坑道 NotfarfromGugangLakearetheZhaishanTunnels (aka JhaishanTunnels).These arewindingmilitarytunnelsrunningundergroundinKinmenconnectingtotheocean.DuringtheChineseCivilWar,theywereusedtoprotectshipsfrombombingraids.Thetunnelsareopenfortours,andbesideshavinggreatacousticsthetunnelsarealsostrikinglybeautiful. ForourfullblogonZhaishanTunnels,clickhere. KinmenNationalPark金門國家公園 OutsidetheZhainshantunnelsisagiantsignthatletsyouknowyouareinKinmenNationalPark.Theparkcoversabout1/4thetotalareaofKinmenCounty,andincludeshalfofLittleKinmen,MountTaiwu,SouthwesternKinmen,NorthwesternKinmen,andNorthEasternKinmen.Mostofthetimeyouwillbeintheparkwithoutevenknowingit.Theparkisanimportantrestingspotformigratorybirds.  ​TheAncientCityofKinmen 金門城 InbetweenZhushanVillageandShuitouVillageistheAncientCityofKinmen. ThiscityisoneofthemosthistoricallyrichplacesinKinmenandinTaiwan.NottobeconfusedwithKincheng(thelargestcityinKinmen)thiswalledcitywasbuiltinthe1300'sduringtheMingDynastyasadefensefortheregion,arolethatithasplayedthroughoutitshistory.Althoughmostoftheoriginalgatesandwallshavebeendestroyed,allofthecitiy'sfourgateshaverecentlybeenrebuilt.Walkingthroughtheseancientstreetsyoucanfeelhundredsofyearsofhistoryspeakingtoyou. Forourfullblogonthecity,clickhere. WentaiTower文台寶塔 Thistower(akaWentaiPagoda)wasalsobuiltduringtheMingdynastyin 1387 ADasalandmarkforshipspassingby,kindoflikealighthouse,aswellasfordefensepurposes.ThestonehasaninscriptionwrittenbyChenHuiwhowasascholarduringtheMingDynasty. Thisislandalsohastwoothersimilartowers: MaoshanTower andDaoyingTower. OucuoBeach歐厝沙灘 OnthesouthsideoftheislandnearZhaishanTunnelsisOucuoBeach,perhapsthebestswimmingbeachonthemainisland. ItfeaturesalongflatwhitesandbeachandbeautifulviewsoftheTaiwanstrait.  Also,thereisalsoanabandonedarmytankstuckinthesandtherethatispopularforvisitors,ifyoucanfindit. ForourfullblogonOucuoBeach,clickhere. LittleKinmen(Lieyu)小金門(烈嶼) TogettoLittleKinmen,youcaneitherwalktotakeascooterontoaferryfromShuitouPier.Thecostforascooteris200NTroundtrip,andthecostforonepersonroundtripis120NT.Theferrycomesroughlyeveryhouranditsatenminutejourney. Now,youcanalsogotoanotherouterislandinKinmen,DadanIsland (大膽島)asofJan.2019.IvisitedinOct.2018,soIjustmissedout.  GettingreadytorideofftheferryontoLittleKinmen. YoucangetaroundprettyfastonLittleKinmenviataxi,butIpreferthefreedomofascooter.It'smorefunridingoneanyway.  823ArtilleryBombardmentVictoryMemorial八二三炮戰勝利紀念 OneofthefirstthingsyouwillnoticewhilecomingintoLittleKinmenisthehuge 823ArtilleryBombardmentVictoryMemorialroundabout.Thisiscommemoratingtheendofthe"SecondTaiwanStraitCrisis"inwhichPRCandROCforcesexchangedartilleryandmissilesfromAugust23rd,1958to22September1958.Intheprocesstherewere440ROCcasualtiesand460PRCcasualtieswithanadditional218PRCciviliancausalities.ThebattleendedwhenthePRCranoutofammo.Becauseofthemanybombshellsleftfromthatbattle,thelocalpeoplehavecollectedthemandreworkedthemasknivestoselltotourists.  Anothersignyouwillseeis"LonglivetheROC,"or"10,000yearstotheROC." Ridingalongthenortheastsideoftheisland,Icouldn'thelpbutnoticeabridgeconnectingto...China? Nope,thisbridgewillonlyconnectKinmentoLittleKinmen,makingtraveleasierandtheferryunnecessary.Maybewhenyougovisitthebridgewillbecomplete!Whenitisfinished,itwillbethelongestcross-islandbridgeinTaiwan,longerthanthebridgeinPenghu. ​ KinmenLandMineMuseum 地雷展示館 TheKinmenlandminemuseumliesontheislandoflittleKinmen(Lieyu),andusesspacefromthedisusedbunkersof"TiehanFortand“YongshiFort."TheexhibitionprovidesafullexplanationofthehistoryoflandminesnotonlyinTaiwanbutintheentireworld.Italsoprovidesareallife,andratherfrightening,experienceforitsvisitors. ​ Usingtunnelspaceintheold "TiehanFort"(鐵漢堡)and“YongshiFort"(勇士堡).Thesetwofortswerefittedwithanti-aircraftcannons,artillerystorage,andtankstorage.Theybothsurvivedbombingraidsfromthemainland.Theexhibittakesyouthroughundergroundtunnelsthatconnectthesetwoforts.Tiehanfortispicuredabove. ​Formroeinformation,pleaseseeourfullblogonthemuseumhere. MaoGongShiIslandRecreationArea 猫公石滨海休憩區 OnourtriptotheislandofLittleKinmen(akaLieyu),wefirstvisitedthe landminemuseum,shortlyafterwhichwesetofftoHujingtouviascooter.Alongthewaywesawsomeveryinterestingwarexhibitsneartheshorelineof MaoGongShiIslandRecreationArea,likethismanikinsoldierwithhissightspointedatXiameninthebackground. Therearestilltonsofspikesstickingoutofthebeach.Ithinkthereasontheyhavenotbeencleanedupisbecauseoftheenvironmentalimpactitwouldhave.  Formoreaboutthisarea,checkoutourbloghere. LittleKinmenHujingtouBattleMuseum小金門湖井頭戰史舘 TheareaaroundHujingtouintheislandofLittleKinmen(akaLieyu烈嶼)isfullofhistoricalsignificance.ItwasoneoftheclosestfrontlinesinTaiwanaftertheChineseCivilWar,only5KMfromXiamen.NowthemuseumanddisplaysintheareaareopentotouristswhocanexperiencewhatitwasliketobeonthefrontlinesduringthestandoffbetweenthePRCandKMTforces.  Formoreaboutthismuseum,seeourblogaboutithere. Acowbeingraisedinsomeone'sfrontyard.Kinmenisalsofamousforitsbeefnoodles,whichusesfreshlocalgrownbeef.  Wespotteda"love"photoareathatseemstobeoutofcontextontheformerfrontlinesoftheChineseCivilWar. TanksondisplayinsouthwesternLittleKinmen.  JiugongTunnels九宮坑道 JiugongTunnels(akaSiweiTunnels思維坑道)arethemostimpressivetunnelsonLittleKinmen,andextremelysimilartothe ZhaishanTunnels onKinmenIsland.OriginallybuilttoprotectROCshipsfrombombingraids,thetunnelsactuallygothroughtheisland,connectingtheoceanfromeachside. Clickhereforourfullblogonthetunnels. BadaTower八達樓子 Badatowerisatowerthatcommemorates7soldiersthatheldoffJapaneseinvasionin1933,fightingfromapartoftheGreatWallofChinaknownasBadaTower.Nexttothetowerarethewords  獨立作戰(fightwarsindependently),and自力更生(selfreliance).   Youcanclimbuptothetopofthetowerandtakeaselfiewiththesevensoldiers. Viewfromthetopofthetower. Andwiththat,ourtwohourtourofLittleKinmenwasover.WewereofftofindmorethingstodoonthemainislandofKinmen.  JiangongIslet建功嶼 JiangongIsletliesjustoffshoreofwesternKinmen.ItfeaturesabarracksandshrinetoKongxia,themilitaryleaderofaMingDynastyloyalistfactionthatdefeatedtheDutchandruledTaiwanforatime.  "W038StrongholdJiangongIslet" "TheoriginalnameofJiangongIsletwasDongIslet.IthasalsobeencalledJhuIslet.LocatedontheWujiangRiverEstuary,ithasanareaofaround500squaremeters.Itisisolatedathightidebutcanbewalkedtoatlowtide.In1949,NationalistArmytroopsoccupiedthesmallislandinordertodefendtheKinlieWaterway.In1960,itacquireditscurrentname.In2002,aspartofitstourismdevelopmentplans,KinmenCountyGovernmentrenovatedthefacilitiesontheislet.JiangongIsletisinaninterestingecologicalzone,andhasbecomeahavenforwildbirds." Youcanreachtheislandbyfootatlowtide,butbecarefultonotgetstucktherewhenthetidecomesbackin.Multipletouristshavebeentrappedontheislandduringhightide. Anotherstructureinthe WujiangRiverEstuary,probablyforfisherman. JinchengSeasidePark金城海濱休閑公園 ThereisanewparkonthesouthsideofKinchengnearthe WujiangRiverEstuarywhichfeaturescactuslandscapingandlotsofstatues.TheparkwasclosedoffwhenIvisitedforrenovations.  KinmenQingDynastyMilitaryHeadquarters金門清朝總兵署 OnceinsidetheIsland'smaincityofKincheng,thereisalottoseeanddo. TheQingMilitaryHeadquartersinKinmenistheoldestandoneofthebestpreservedbuildingsfromtheQingdynastyinTaiwan,locatedattheheartofKinmen.Thecomplexiscompletelyrenovatedintoamuseum,andisfullofexhibits,showingvisitorsexactlywhatlifewaslikeduringtheQingdynasty,aswellasprovidinghistoricalbackgroundtoKinmenandthesurroundingarea. Formoreinformation,seeourfullblogonthemuseumhere.  MofanStreet模範街 MofanStreetwascompletedin1924,modeledafterWesternandJapanesearchitecture.Literallymeaning"ModelStreet,"itmodelsitselfafterforeignarchitecturalstyle,includingbrickarchways.Thereareover40shopsonthisstreetsellinglocaltreatsandsouvenirs. Thestreetalsolightsupatnight,andisobviouslyverypatriotic. NearMofanStreettherearelotsofplacestoeat.Lookforthisarch,thisiswherewefoundthebestfood. Firstwehadatasteofthelocalfood.Thisrestauranthasasuperlongwait,sowewenttotheonenextdoor. Wetriedsomedeepfriedtaro,whichwasprettygoodbutI'msureyoucanimaginethetaste. Alsowehadsomeporknoodleswhicharealwaysagoodchoice. LiangJinFarm良金牧場 LiangJinFarmisnotafarm,itisarestaurantandgiftshop,specializinginbeefnoodles,amongotherthings.  ThebeefnoodlesinthisshopweresomeofthebestI'veeverhad.Thebeefwasfreshandplentiful,locallygrowninKinmen. Theyalsosellallyoucaneat"grass"flavoredsoftserve.Ithinkthereisareasonthatitisallyoucaneat;afteronebiteyourealizeyouhavefilledyourcupfulloffoodpelletflavoredicecream.It'snotverysweetatall.It'slikeeatinggrassstraightup,butcreamier.Definitelyanexperiencebutnotdeliciousinanyway.  TherearemanyotherrestaurantsdownthesealleywaysservingjustaboutanyTaiwanesedishyoucanthinkof. Alsoyouwillfindmanyshopssellingartilleryshellsandknivesmadefromartilleryshells.Manoftheseshellsareleftoverfromthe823artillerybombardment.  Fruitsandvegetablesarealsosoldinthecityforreasonableprices. AnotherlocaldelicacywetriedwasGuangdongRicePorridge廣東粥.Itwasdelicious.   Alsowehadsomelocalroastedmeatcakes,orShaobing燒餅whichwerealsodelicious.Someofthemhadmaltsugarinsidewhichissuretogiveyoucavities.  Alsosoymilkinabag,thefirstofitskindIhaveeverseen. NextwewanderedoutofKinchengtowardGuningtou.Alongthewaywesawquiteafewabandonedvehiclesonthesideoftheroad. CihuLake慈湖 CihuLakeisamanmadereserviournearKincheng,featuringsomereallybeautifulscenery,andisoneofthebestplacestowatchthesunset.  Thebeachandshorelinenexttothelake.Asmallleveeseparatedthelake(oncepartoftheocean)withXiamenBay.Thereseroirwasbuiltnotonlytoprovidebettershorlinedefense,butalsotoprovidefishfarmsforthelocals.  Afteritwasconstructed,thelakeattractedalargeamountofmigratorybirds,makingitthepremierspotforbirdspottinginKinmen,mainlyduringwintermonths. "AboutCihuLakeImportantWetland(WetlandofNationalImportance)" ThisregionistheNationalWetlandofImportance(redzone).Toensurethenaturalfloodcontrolandrelatedfunctionsofthewetlandinordermaintainbiodiversity,andpromotewetlandecologicalconservationandwiseuse,thefollowingactsarebannedunlesswiththecompetentgovernmentauthorities'permission...[polluting,dumping,etc.]" Alsonexttothelakearesomemoretanksondisplay.OfcoursepointingatChina.  GulongtouShuiweiPagoda古龍頭水尾塔 NotfarfromCihuLakeisShuweiPagoda,whichwasbuiltduringtheQingDynastyin1767tobringproperFengshuiintothearea,promotingprosperitynearby.Thestoneactsasa Shigandang(石敢當),orstoneswithwritingonthem,usedintraditionalChinesefolkreligiontowardoffevilspirits. YoucanalsoseeShigandangatstreetintersectionsinTaiwan.  KinmenHeping(Peace)MemorialPark金門和平紀念公園 BeforeyouenterintoGuningtou,youwillcomeacrossKinmen'sHepingMemorialPark(akaLincuoFortress林厝炮陣地),whichfeaturesafewanti-aircraftmilitarybunkersinarow.Tanksareondisplayagaininthisparkinglot.ItseemslikethereisatankineveryparkinglotinKinmen.  "KuningtouBattlefield" "In1949,morethantwentythousandCommunistsoldierslandedonthebeachinKuningtou.Itwasonlyafterseveralheavyfightsthattheinvaderswereeitherdestroyedorcaptured.Amuseumwaslaterbuiltrightonthelandingplaceinhonorofallthesoldiersfightingcourageuoslyinthebattle.Duringthebattle,ColonelLeeKuang-chienandhundredofhisyoung,fearlesssoldierswerekilled.Torememberhiscontributionindefendingthevillageandthefinalvictory,thevillagersturnedhisheadquartersintoatempletopayworshiptohimTseHuandTwin-CarpLakearethetwosplendidlakesnearby,withabundantsunshineandthegatheringofvariouskindsofmigratorybirds,bothprovetobesuperbspotsforbirdwatching." No2.artilleryfortress.  Thepeacebell,madeofoldbombshells. GeneralHuLienMemorialHall,whichalsogivesaculturalexhibitionoflifeinKinmen.GeneralHuLienrenderedfearlessserviceinthevictoryatGuningtou.  ArtilleryfortressNo.1.  Lookingoutthebackendofoneoftheartilleryfortresses.  BattleofGuningtouMemorialArchjustbeforeyouenterintoGuningtou.  BeishanOldHouse北山古洋樓 Wedidn'thavetimetoexplorethewholevillage,butyoushouldifyouhavethetime.OnebuildingwedidseewastheBeishanOldHouse(picturedabove),whichisactuallylocatedinthevillageofBeishanrightnexttoGuningtou. Thishousewasbuiltoriginallyby LiQijie,whostartedworkonthehousein1920,makingitintoawesternstylehouselike manyotherrichmerchants onKinmen. ThehousewasshotupduringthebattleofGuningtou,andyoucanstillseebulletholes. Formoreinformationaboutthishouse,checkoutourbloghere.  BattleofGuningtouMuseum古寧頭戰史舘 ThebattleofGuningtouwasofthelargestandperhapstheimportantfightthatfendedoffPRCinvasioninKinmenandTaiwan.ItbeganwiththousandsofcommunisttroopsboardingshipsandinvadingKinmen,gaininggroundquickly.However,thePRCtroopswerepushedbackandcaptured,provingtobeanimportantvictoryfortheROCarmyandpreventingthePRCfromadvancingtoTaiwan. NowyoucanlearnmoreaboutthisimportantbattlebypassingthroughthetownofGuningtouandvisitingtheGuningtouBattleMuseum.  ​Forourfullblogaboutthismuseumandthebattle,clickhere. BeishanBroadcastingTower北山廣播墻 ​BeishanBroadcastingTower(akaBeishanBroadcastingWall)isatoweronthenorthcentralcoastofKinmen(nearGuningtou)usedbythemilitarytobroadcastmessages,propaganda,andmusicacrossXiamenharbortocommunistsontheotherside.Thetowerstillsendsbroadcastsdaily,andisauniquewartimerelicthatisdefinitelyworthvisiting. ​Formoreinformationaboutthistower,checkoutourbloghere. TaiwuMountain太武山 Mt.TaiwuisthetallestmountaininKinmen.Itfeaturesmanyhikingtrailsaswellasamilitarycemetery.  Thisisaboutasfaraswegot.Withtheprospectofhikingthreehourswithlimiteddaylight,weturnedback. PanoramaofthemainentrancetoTaiwuMountain.  NextwedrovealongthenorthwestcoastofKinmen,observingthebeautifulsunset.Kinmenisacutallyreallybig,andtakesmorethananhourtodriveacrossthewholeisland.  OurshadowinthesunlightlookingatasmallvillageinKinmen.  MapwithsightsinMashan,thenorth-easternmostvillageinKinmen.  MashanObservationPost馬山觀測所 Theplaceclosesatabout5PM,andwehadgottentherejustafewminutesbeforethat.  WewereworkingagainsttheclocktovisitMashanObservationPost.Whenwegotthere,thegatewasstillopen! ​TheMashanObservationPostistheclosestpartofKinmentoChina,only1.8KMawayduringlowtide.YourphonewillthinkthatitisinChina,soputitonairplanemode. SimilartoBeishanBroadcastingTower,MashanalsoblastsoutmusicandpropagandatoXiamenontheoppositeshore. RightwhenItookthispicture,anoldladytoldmetoleave.Theobservationpostwastoclosefortheday.Sad.Kinmenisjusttoobigtoseeeverythingbeforeitcloses,sogiveyourselfenoughtimeontheislandthatyoudon'thavetolivewithanyregrets. 3Dmapofthearea.  Eventhoughwedidn'tgettogoinsidetheobservatory,wedidseesomeniceviewsofthebeach,withChinainthebackground. AgroupoftouristsenjoyingthebeachnearMashanObservationPost. ViewofMt.Taiwuonourdriveback. Lastviewofthesunsetonourjourneywest. ChenChing-lon'sHouse陳景蘭洋樓 ChenChinglon'shouseisanotherplacethatclosesat5PM.So,therearelimitedthingsyoucandoafterthattime. ChenChingLonwasalsoawealthymerchantwhobuiltaverynicewesternstylehouseinKinmen,andisperhapsthemostbeautifulwesternstylehouseofitsera.  "ChenChinglon'sHouse" "LocatedattheChenKen(nowknownasChengKung)villageincentralKinmenIsland,theChenChing-lon'sHouse,thelargestwesternhouseinKinmen,wasbuiltin1921byanoverseasChineseChenChing-lon,whomademoneyinSingaporeandBelitung,Indonesia.ChenChing-lon,anenthusiastforeducationandcharity,oncefinanciallysupportedtheestablishmentofSingapore'shighest-levelChineseeducationalinstitution.In1922,ChenChingLonsetuptheKinmenSteamshipCompanyinKinmenforhisfellowvillagerstotravelbetweenKinmenandXiamen.In1925,hesponsoredtheKinmenCommercialhighSchoolandthePrivateKinmenElementarySchool.In1933,hehasapavilionbuiltnearthewaterfrontofChenKenasarestareaforfisherman.Also,hesponsoredthesetupoftheShangChingTowerneartheHsainfTeTemplefordefenseagainstpirates.After1949,theChenChing-lon'sHouseplayessuchdifferentrolesindifferentperiodsasanationalartilleryforcestation,"ArmedForce53Hospital,"theKinmenHighSchool,andSoldier'sHolidayCenter.Itisfullofwartimememories.Onthishillsideisthe"ChinTangPark,"wherepeoplecanhaveapanaramicviewoftheLiaoLuoBay.Infact,thechangesofChenChing-lan'sHouseareanepitomeofKinmen'smodernhistory." ViewoftheoceanfromChenChing-lon'shouse. Carrefour家樂福 WhyisCarrefouramajortouristdestination?WellitistheonlymajorsupermarketinallofTaiwan'souterislandsincludingPenghu.ItjustopenedJune30th,2018. YoucantellthattheCarrefourhereisgearedtolureinChinesetourists,evenprovidingashuttlebusfromShuitouPorteveryhour(insimplifiedChinese).CarrefourisprobablytheeasiestplaceforChinesepeopletobuynormal,safe,andeverydaythingsfromTaiwan.WhileIwasthereoneChineseladyaskedmehowmuchsomethingwasinRMB,butIhadnoidea.Ithinklaterastoreclerktoldher. WindLionPlazaMall風獅爺購物廣場 ThelastplacewesawbeforegettingontheplanebacktoTaipeiwastheoutletmallrightnexttotheairport.It'sstraightacrossfromtheairportmainentrance.WhatbetterwayforaChinesetouristtospendtheirtimeinKinmenthanbuyingduty-freeNike's?KinmenhasbeenandwillcontinuetothriveontourismmainlyfromChina,buthopefullywiththisblogIhaveconvincedforeignersfromothercountriestocomevisitthisbeautifulsetofislands. PlacesWeMissed我們錯過的地方: DaoYingTower倒影塔 MilitaryBrothelExhibitionHall特約茶室展示館 Mr.YuDa-weiMemorialMuseum俞大維先生紀念館 FuguoDunSeaTerrace復國墩海台 823BattleMuseum八二三戰史舘 KinmenShanhouFolkCultureVillage山后民俗文化村 WuqiuLighthouse烏坵嶼燈塔 GulongtouZhenweiResidence古龍頭振威第 DadanIsland大膽島 Andhundredsofotherhistoricalbuildings! ​ ​Thegreatthingaboutnotseeingeverythingisthatitgivesmeanexcusetogobacksomeday! FormoreofTaiwan'souterIslands,checkoutourultimateguidetoPenghu here. Share 1Comment Natalie 6/2/202105:36:58am Ohhowyoubroughtbackwonderfulmemoriesofmytripthere.Yourphotoswereawesomeandthedescriptionswerepointon. Reply LeaveaReply.  Author作家 WeareUSExpatsthathaveextensiveexperienceliving,working,andtravellinginTaiwan.Inourday,wehadtolearnmanythingsaboutTaiwanthehardway.ButwehavecometolearnthatTaiwanisoneofthebestplacesintheworldforForeignerstolive. ​OurblogdoesnotrepresenttheopinionsofeveryforeignerinTaiwan.Wearejusttryingtohelpotherslearnmoreaboutthisbeautifulcountry.​​我們是在台灣的外國人！我們透過額部落格想要幫助外國人了解台灣生活，旅遊，和商業的環境！我們不代表所有在台灣的外國人,我們只是想要幫助世界各地的人了解台灣美好的一切!(美國人在管理) Archives檔案 August2022 July2022 June2022 May2022 April2022 March2022 February2022 January2022 December2021 November2021 October2021 September2021 August2021 July2021 June2021 May2021 April2021 March2021 February2021 January2021 December2020 November2020 October2020 September2020 August2020 July2020 June2020 May2020 April2020 March2020 February2020 January2020 December2019 November2019 October2019 September2019 August2019 July2019 June2019 May2019 April2019 March2019 February2019 January2019 December2018 November2018 October2018 August2018 July2018 June2018 May2018 April2018 March2018 February2018 January2018 December2017 November2017 October2017 September2017 August2017 July2017 June2017 April2017 March2017 February2017 December2015 November2015 October2015 June2015 May2015 December2014 November2014 October2014 September2014 June2014 May2014 Categories​類目 All 2006120221 AboriginalCulture原住民文化 Alishan-384633732423665 AmusementParks娛樂園 Aquariums海洋館 Art藝術 BasicInfo基本資訊 Beaches海灘 Blogroll部落格名單 Bridges橋梁 Buddhism佛教 Buddhism佛教 Business商業 Business商業 Camping露營 CarDrivingTest考汽車駕照 CarRental租氣車 Caves山洞 Changhua彰化 Chiayi嘉義 ChildrenActivities小孩活動 ChineseFilm中文電影 ChineseLanguage中文 ChineseLanguage中文 ChineseLiterature中文文學 ChineseLiterature中文文學 ChinesePollution中國污染 CityParks都市公園 ClickBait點擊誘餌 CoalMining煤礦 Cycling騎腳踏車 Cycling騎腳踏車 DailyLife日常生活 DrivingInTaiwan開車 DroneFlying飛空拍機 EastTaiwan東部 Ershui二水 Events活動 Festivals節日 FishFootMassage溫泉魚 FloralSea花海 Food Food食物 Forts堡壘 Fruit水果 Geography地理 Geography地理 Geology地質 Golf高爾夫球 GreenEnergy綠色能源 GrowingBananas種香蕉日記 GuestBlogPosts客人部落格 HakkaCulture客家文化 Hiking Hiking爬山 HistoricalBuildings歷史建築 HistoricalBuildings歷史建築 HotSprings溫泉 HotSprings溫泉 Hsinchu新竹 Hualien花蓮 Immigration/Visa移民/簽證 JapaneseEra日治時期 Jiaoxi礁溪 Jiaoxi礁溪 Kaohsiung高雄 Keelung基隆 Kenting墾丁 Kinmen金門 LakesAndReservoirs湖及水庫 Longdong龍洞 Lukang鹿港 LuodongNightMarket羅東夜市 Maolin茂林 MatsuIslands馬祖列島 Miaoli苗栗 MigrantWorkers外籍勞動 Monkeys猴子 Monkeys猴子 MountainBiking越野 MountainBiking越野 Museums博物館 Nangang南港 Nantou南投 NationalForestRecreationAreas國家森林游樂區 NationalPalaceMuseum故宮 NationalPalaceMuseum故宮 NationalParks國家公園 NaturalScenery自然風景 NewTaipei新北市 NightMarket夜市 NorthernCoast北海岸 NotTaiwan台灣以外的地方 NuclearPower核能 NuclearPower核能 Offroading越野 OldCityGates古城門 OldStreets老街 OldTrails古道 OrchidIsland(Lanyu蘭嶼) OuterIslands外島 PathosAndLogos情與理 PenghuIslands澎湖群島 Pingtung屏東 PingxiRailway平息火車綫 Politics政治 Politics政治 Railways鐵路 RecreationalFarms休閑農場 RiverTracing朔溪 RockClimbing攀岩 ScooterDrivingTest考機車駕照 ScooterRental租機車 ScooterRental租機車 SeafoodMarkets海鮮市場 Shiding石碇 ShilinNightMarket士林夜市 ShilinNightMarket士林夜市 Shopping購物 SicaoGreenTunnel四草綠色隧道 Smokestacks烟囪 Snorkeling浮潛 Snorkeling浮潛 StartingATaiwanBusiness創業 StartingATaiwanBusiness創業 SunMoonLake日月潭 SunMoonLake日月潭 Surfing3490928010 Taichung臺中 Tainan-3327421335 Tainan-3327421335 Taipei101101 Taipei1012148821271101 Taipei-101-2148821271-101 Taipei2148821271 Taipei-2148821271 TaipeiZoo台北動物園 TaipeiZoo台北動物園 Taipei臺北 Taipei臺北 Taitung臺東 TaiwaneseSpouse台灣配偶 TaiwanFAQ臺灣常見問題 TaiwanHistory台灣的歷史 TaiwanHistory台灣的歷史 Taiwan'sEconomy台灣經濟 TaiwanTemples臺灣的廟 Tamsui淡水 Taoyuan桃園 TarokoGorge太魯閣 Tax稅 Top10前十名 Top10前十名 Top5前5名 Transportation交通 TsaiYingwen蔡英文 TurtleIsland龜山島 TurtleIsland龜山島 Typhoons颱風 UltimateGuide極限指南 Urbex城市探險 Waterfalls瀑布 Weather天氣 WhiteTerror白色恐怖 Wildlife野生動物 WomenInChineseSociety女士們在中國社會 WorkingInTaiwan在台灣工作 WorkingInTaiwan在台灣工作 WulaiHotSprings烏來溫泉 Xiaoliuqiu小琉球 Xitou溪頭 Xitou溪頭 Xizhi汐止 Yangmingshan陽明山 Yilan宜蘭 Yunlin雲林 Yushan(JadeMt.)玉山 Zhongtaishan中台山 Zoos動物園 RSSFeed Poweredby Createyourownuniquewebsitewithcustomizabletemplates. 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