Kinmen is so full of history and tourist sites that it warrants a fourth post. In case you missed them, we’ve already looked at the main town of Jincheng, the military history and the architecture. In today’s post, we’ll take a look at some of the various memorials and monuments that haven’t already been covered. More after the jump.
Lotus Pond in Chiang Kai-shek Park
The 823 Artillery Museum near the town of Shanhou in Kinhu district was set up to commemorate the battle that occurred on August 23rd 1958 when communist China launched an artillery attack on the island. The bombardment lasted 44 days and saw close to half a million shells fall on Kinmen.
August 23 (823) Artillery War Museum on Kinmen, Republic of China ROC (Taiwan).
Like many locations on Taiwan itself, Kinmen hosts a number of memorials to Taiwan’s first president Chiang Kai-shek. On the edge of Lake Tai, a 5m deep, hand-dug lake dating from the 1960s is the Chiang Kai-shek memorial forest. Popular with picnickers, as well as being a feeding ground for ospreys and cormorants, the memorial features a Chinese gate and statue of Chiang.
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial
Entrance to Chiang Kai-shek park on Kinmen, Republic of China ROC (Taiwan).
Keeping with the presidential memorials is the Chiang Ching-kuo Memorial Hall located with the Chungshan Forest. Chiang Ching-kuo was Chiang Kai-shek’s son and served as president from 1978 until his death in 1988. While his presidency was marked by the lifting of martial law and permitting other political parties and paving the way for democracy in Taiwan, his previous job as director of secret police saw him preside over numerous human rights abuses.
Buildings at Chiang Chingkuo Memorial Hall on Kinmen, Republic of China ROC (Taiwan).
Yellow flower in Chungshan Memorial forest, Kinmen, Republic of China ROC (Taiwan)
In the village of Beishan lies the residence of General Chen-wei. Built in 1789, this residence as been preserved as a second class national historic relic and features large stone tablets meant to drive away evil spirits and misfortune.
Protective totem at Chenwei residence, Beishan on Kinmen, Republic of China ROC (Taiwan).
Finally (for this post anyway), we have the Wei Lu house, a reconstructed stone residence located in the Banyan forest of Chiang Kai-shek forest.
Weilu Traditional house on Kinmen, Republic of China ROC (Taiwan).
I hope you’ve enjoyed this tour of Kinmen’s memorials. Your comments and thoughts are most appreciated. Thank you.
]]>For the third part of this series on Kinmen, we’re going to focus on the architecture. To recap, part 1 looked at the town of Jincheng, Kinmen’s largest center, and part 2 focused on the military history of the islands. The island is known for its numerous examples of traditional southern Fujian style buildings. Early on, the architectural style was a derivation of that found in both Quanzhou and Zhangzhou, China. Saddleback roofs, gabled walls and simple, sleek lines are all evident in the design.
Traditional Chinese Architecture on Kinmen
There are approximately 15 000 Fujian-style houses on Kinmen, 115 of which are classed as historical monuments. Interestingly, this is about 25% of the total classified monuments on either Taiwan itself, or its outlying islands.
The buildings were often built in batches, 10 to 20 at a time, forming new villages or settlements with villages each time. Each house would typically contain one or two main chambers, with a further 2-4 rooms or wings to the sides.
Traditional Chinese Architecture on Kinmen
Traditional Chinese Architecture on Kinmen
As well as the traditional Chinese architecture, there are a number of examples of Western-style buildings. All told there are 130 of these buildings, most dating from the 1920s and 30s and constructed by merchants returning from South East Asia. Typically two storey, the buildings often feature outer hallways and Western-styled parapets.
Western Architecture on Kinmen
There’s also plenty of examples where Chinese and Western styles have been blended together.
Chinese & Western Architecture on Kinmen
Here are a few more examples of the traditional architecture to be found, some of it in better shape than others.
Chinese Architecture on Kinmen
Chinese Architecture on Kinmen
Chinese Architecture on Kinmen
Stay tuned for part 4 of the Kinmen series coming up next week. Don’t forget to check out 5 later in the week. Thanks for viewing and don’t be shy with the comments and RTs.
]]>Anyplace boasting a history that includes pirates, classic Chinese architecture and twentieth century battlefields deserves to be a stop on any travelers itinerary but the islands of the Kinmen archipelago are not only overlooked by most, they are often unknown to travelers. Located just a couple of kilometers from the southern Chinese city of Xiamen, but administered from across the Taiwan Strait by the Taiwanese (Republic of China) government, Kinmen was a cold war flashpoint that saw daily barrages of artillery throughout the 1950s and 60s exchanged between the PRC (People’s Republic of China) and ROC. The lifting of martial law in 1993, and the naming of Kinmen as Taiwan’s sixth national park in 1995 opened the islands up for tourism. The “three small links” established between Taiwan and China in 2001 opened Kinmen up to trade and travel from China, and with relations between the two sides warming up over the past year to the point where people are starting to mention possible peace deals, there’s never been a better time to travel to Kinmen.
A military post on Kinmen. With thawing relations between Taiwan and China, these may soon be things of the past.
Located only one hour flying time from Taipei’s Songshan Airport, Kinmen makes a great destination for both residents of Taiwan and those passing through on business or leisure. There are six townships on Kinmen with the largest being Jincheng. This is the county seat, as well as having most of the hotels and restaurants. As such, this is probably the first place travelers will find themselves after leaving the airport, and it has its own charms in the back lanes. It’s definitely worth taking a stroll through the alleys, as their are some great little sites to see that aren’t marked on any map.
Freshly made noodles hanging to dry in a Jincheng alley
Old Fujian style housing in Jincheng, Kinmen
Situated close to the bus station is Mofan St. Dating from 1924, it exhibits a mixture of Western and Japanese style architecture. Brick exteriors and archways house small gift stores and cafes. A few minutes walking distance away, Qiu Liang-Kung’s Mother’s Memorial Arch can be found. Qiu, a Kinmen local who went on to serve as governor of China’s Zhejiang province, built this arch built in 1812 in honor of his mother who chose to live 28 years as a widow rather than remarry after her husband died.
Future Hopes - The Chinese (l) and Taiwanese (r) flags displayed next to each other in Mofan St, Jincheng
Qiu Liang-Kung's Mother's Memorial Arch, Jincheng
To the south of Jincheng lies the Juguang Tower. Built in the style of classical Chinese palaces, this three-storey tower is fairly modern, having been constructed in 1952. A museum is housed inside that tower that was originally built as a memorial to fallen soldiers. Close by is the Wentai Pagoda, a five level pagoda that is one of the oldest monuments in Taiwan, as well as numerous small villages with their distinctive roofing styles.
Juguang Tower built in 1952 as a memorial to fallen soldiers. Jincheng, Kinmen
Traditional rooftop decorations, Kinmen
Traditional village housing, Kinmen
Wentai Pagoda, Kinmen
Also in the Jincheng area is the Koxinga Shrine. Koxinga, born in 1624 in Nagasaki, Japan to a Chinese pirate father and Japanese mother, is also commonly known as Zheng Cheng-gong. Growing up firstly in Japan, then, from the age of seven in China, Koxinga went on to study at the Imperial Nanjing University, the main university of the Ming Dynasty. After the fall of the Ming, Koxinga trained and led armies in a battle against the new Qing Dynasty, basing himself on Kinmen. His armies were able to defeat the Manchus in their attacks on Kinmen, and five years later he defeated the Dutch colonizers at Tainan, Taiwan which he then made a base for remaining Ming-loyalists and other anti-Qing sympathizers. Koxinga died of malaria at age 37. His legacy has seen his honored as a god amongst coastal dwellers in China, people in Taiwan and overseas Chinese throughout South East Asia.
A cannon on display at the Koxinga Shrine, Kinmen
Gateway to the Koxinga Shrine, Kinmen.
At that point, it’s a good time to take a break from our travels in Kinmen. Part 2 will be published next week, looking at a few more areas of interest on this overlooked island. Comments and suggestions welcome, and for any Twitter uses, if you could retweet this post it’d be much appreciated. Thank you.
]]>The final flashpoint of the Chinese civil war between Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists and Mao Zedong’s Communists, Kinmen is a small island under Taiwanese control but located 2km off the coast of Fujian province, China.
From 1949, throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s, Chinese cannons pounded Kinmen with over one million rounds. The earliest fighting took place on the Kuningtou battlefield, where, in a battle lasting 56 hours, 15000 lives were lost. A later major battle was the 823 artillery barrage, which lasted 44 days and had the US Air Force preparing for a nuclear strike against the People’s Republic of China.
Today, with easing of tensions between the Taiwan (ROC) and China (PRC), Kinmen has become a popular tourist destination. It is still home to a substantial number of Taiwanese soldiers, but there are also a lot of unused and abandoned miltary sites. Here a few abandoned, eroded bunkers and tunnels.
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]]>The final flashpoint of the Chinese civil war between Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists and Mao Zedong’s Communists, Kinmen is a small island under Taiwanese control but located 2km off the coast of Fujian province, China.
From 1949, throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s, Chinese cannons pounded Kinmen with over one million rounds. The earliest fighting took place on the Kuningtou battlefield, where, in a battle lasting 56 hours, 15000 lives were lost. A later major battle was the 823 artillery barrage, which lasted 44 days and had the US Air Force preparing for a nuclear strike against the People’s Republic of China.
Today, with easing of tensions between the Taiwan (ROC) and China (PRC), Kinmen has become a popular tourist destination. It is still home to a substantial number of Taiwanese soldiers, but there are also a lot of unused and abandoned miltary sites. Here a few abandoned, eroded bunkers and tunnels.
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