(A little trouble in Big China...)
If someone had asked me a couple months ago where Kinmen is, I probably would have just stared at him blankly- like probably the majority of my readers, I knew nothing about Kinmen, and in fact I hadn't even heard of it until I moved to Taiwan. So I'll start this post with a very important question, that shapes the entire rest of the article: Where is Kinmen?
 |
| Here. Kinmen is here. |
Kinmen is the highlighted yellow island on the left side of that map above. It has three names; Kinmen is English, Jinmen is the transliterated version of its Chinese name 金門, and Quemoy was the name the Portuguese gave it- Quemoy is from the same time that Taiwan was called Formosa, so you won't be able to find the name Kinmen on older maps. In the middle of the map is the Penghu Islands, also called the Pescadores; to the right is, of course, Taiwan itself. But those things aren't as directly relevant to Kinmen as the body of land to its northwest is: Mainland China.
(This post might be a little history-heavy; I'll try to intersperse the history with my trip, to keep things interesting.)
Kinmen is only about two kilometers away from Mainland China, barely one mile; you can see it from the beaches. Its position dominates Weitou Bay, which is fed by the Nine Dragons River, stretching into Fujian Provice. On the opposite sides of the bay, Kinmen is faced by three cities: Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, and Xiamen. This last city, Xiamen, is actually why I decided to visit Kinmen two weeks ago. The last time I was in America, I obtained a visa to Mainland China (People's Republic of China- PRC from here on), and as I still need to leave Taiwan (Republic of China- ROC from here on) every three months, I figured I would give Xiamen a shot.
It's difficult to get directly from Taipei to Xiamen, of course. So the plan was: fly from Taipei to Kinmen, then hop a ferry across the bay.
 |
| Songshan Airport- much more convenient! |
The flight was less than an hour long, and was quite cheap- not even $50 US dollars! On a side note, some of you may have heard of the plane crash a few days ago here in Taipei- if you hadn't, briefly, a plane flying the same route I flew- Taipei to Kinmen- had a catastrophic engine failure, clipped a bridge with one of its wings and crashed into the Keelung River. Of the 50 people on board, only about 13 or 14 survived, but happily no one else was injured by the accident- the plane actually struck a taxi with its wing as it was going down (!!), but even the driver and his passengers are ok. Unfortunately, as if the accident itself wasn't sad enough, one of those killed in the accident was one of our brothers, a Taiwanese brother who lived in Hualien.
The airline that owned that plane is called TransAsia Airlines; fortunately, Knight and I booked tickets with Mandarin Airlines, so we weren't in much danger. On this blog, I often post pictures of Taipei and other big Taiwanese cities, and they usually look something like this:
 |
| Lots of grey, a little green |
But when Knight and I landed in Kinmen, we were greeted by this sight:
 |
| A little grey, but look at that green! |
Most of Kinmen looks like that nowadays: lots of rice fields, countryside and pasturage, with a few towns of around 10,000 people scattered around. We also have one congregation of 30 publishers on the island, just formed in 2013! This is not why Kinmen is such an important place, however.
Let's go back in time over one hundred years. The year is 1895. The Qing Dynasty has just lost a war with Imperial Japan, and has formally ceded control of Formosa. Ceding Formosa stopped the war, but the Qing were worried about Japan's future intentions toward China (rightly so, it turns out), so they proceeded to build a state-of-the-art naval base on the island of Quemoy- Kinmen. Its purpose was to be able to lock down the Taiwan Strait if Japan ever attempted to invade southern China from Formosa, and it was effective enough that it wasn't until World War 2- after almost a decade of fighting, and after Japan seized Kinmen- that Japan ever made advances in southern China.
The ROC was an ally of The Allies during World War 2, so after America joined the fight and defeated the Imperial Japanese, Japan was forced to give China back all of the territory it had captured- including Kinmen, and, of course, Taiwan. However, the ROC immediately had problems, as Mao Zedong's Communist forces, now that the Japanese were out of the picture, turned on the ROC's army with full force. The president of the ROC, Chiang Kai-Shek, realized there was no way he was going to keep control of all China, so he took as many citizens, artifacts, and money with him as he could, and completely retreated to Taiwan... with two exceptions.
The first exception is the island chain of Matsu, far to the north of Taiwan. There isn't much going on there, and it was never a source of much contention between the ROC and the newly-formed PRC.
The second exception is- wait for it- Kinmen. That naval base that so effectively kept the Japanese out could also protect the main island of Taiwan from direct invasion. Kinmen would have to fall before Taiwan could, and therefore defending Kinmen was a very high priority. Although tensions have settled between the PRC and the ROC of late, for most of the last fifty years Kinmen has been absolutely full of soldiers- at times over 90,000 troops were stationed on the island, and that has left its mark.
 |
| For instance, all the roads are flat, straight and well-maintained for military use. |
When Knight and I first arrived in Kinmen, the first thing we did was drop our things off at our hotel, then go into the biggest town in Kinmen, Jincheng. We were originally planning on renting a motorcycle for our time on the island, since it's big enough that you'll probably want your own transportation... but Knight isn't 18 yet, so can't drive in Taiwan, and I forgot my CA driver's licence back in Taipei. The one time it would ever be useful in Taiwan, and I forgot it! Anyway, we had to catch a bus into town instead.
 |
| See, Knight does exist! |
By the way, Knight's name in Chinese is 阿德 Ad'e. He chose his English name because, to quote him, "I am very handsome". I'm grateful he decided to come with me on this little adventure- I'm capable of going places on my own, of course, but it's always more fun to have a friend along.
The ride into town was longer than it looked, and by the time we arrived the sun had set. According to our hotel, Jincheng had a night market that was worth seeing, so we decided to head down and see what it had to offer!
 |
| Main street of Jincheng |
That arch- and many like it scattered around the island- are reported to be from the Ming dynasty, when the prince of the state of Lu decided to take a break from the hectic pace of court life, and came to Kinmen to meditate in peace for a few months. According to the local story, he traveled around the island, and when he came to a place with good energy, he would sit and meditate for a few weeks. After he was done, he would move on, and his attendants would build an arch on the spot he was meditating to commemorate the event.
I'm not sure how true that story is, but I do know one thing: these egg rolls were truly delicious!
 |
| Get it? Truly delicious? I crack me up. |
They're really simple, too- just a special batter squeezed between two iron plates and heated over hot coals, then skillfully peeled off and quickly rolled- either around nothing or with meat and vegetables inside. Eating them warm from the fire was great, and they were super cheap too- only 70塊, $2 USD, for a giant bag!
 |
| Looking the other way |
Jincheng seems like a nice place, calm and peaceful. I wonder if it's always been that way, as a retreat for soldiers on edge, or if it's only because of the pause in hostilities?
While walking around Jincheng, besides discovering lots of delicious seafood and noodle dishes, we also completely by accident ran into one of the places I had looked up before coming to Kinmen- a knife foundry!
 |
| Notice something odd? |
"Wait," you might think, "those aren't knives, they're shells!" And you would be right. Before, I mentioned that if the PRC wanted to capture Taiwan- and they did, really, really badly, for a few decades- they would have to capture Kinmen first? Well, they tried. Several times. The first major attempt to seize the island was during the chaos of the initial retreat, in the the late 1940's, when the PRC landed 20,000 soldiers on the island, only to be repelled by the ROC's troops. After the initial defeat, the PRC retreated to the city of Xiamen- only 2 km away, after all- and began shelling the island with heavy artillery.
At this point, America stepped in again. Fearing the loss of Kinmen would lead to the capture of Taiwan and the complete destruction of the ROC- seen as not only an old ally from World War 2, but also as an important barrier against Communism's expansion- America parked a sizable portion of its Pacific Fleet in the Taiwan strait and warned any further aggression- by either side- would lead to an immediate declaration of war. The PRC was not prepared for a war with America by itself, and the Soviet Union informed them they would not help them, so they ceased the attack.
Three years passed. The ROC used the time well, fortifying Kinmen with bunkers and tens of thousands of troops, laying landmines along its beaches and preparing artillery of their own. A new president was elected in America, who decided to lift the blockade in the Taiwan Strait, which almost immediately lead to the resumption of war- both sides shelling each other almost nonstop for two months. During this time, the PRC successfully captured a few of the smaller islands around Kinmen- you might see on the above map, there are actually a few islands around the main island of Kinmen- and America got scared and threatened to use nuclear weapons on the PRC if they didn't halt the attack, which worked...
...until 1958, when the PRC attempted to overwhelm Kinmen once again. At the time, the ROC had over 90,000 troops on the island, but the PRC attacked with over 200,000 soldiers. The fighting was intense, but the ROC emerged victorious, mainly because what they lacked in manpower, they made up for in technology- they had the better equipment. It didn't help the PRC's efforts that they ran out of artillery shells, either.
That was the last time the PRC tried to actually invade Kinmen, although they did shell the island from time to time, whenever they felt like it basically, until 1979 when a treaty was concluded between the USA and the PRC, recognizing the government of Mainland China as the real China, and not the ROC, which was confined to Taiwan.
Anyway, I tell you that very long story to explain why this knife foundry is unique. The knives are made out of artillery shells, fired by the Communist Chinese in an attempt to invade Kinmen. Some lunatic blacksmith on the island had the idea to melt them down and reforge knives out of them, and it turns out that not only is the steel surprisingly high quality, but that crazy guy really knows how to make knives. They've become locally famous in Taiwan for their high quality and durability, and they have an amazing story- so I bought one.
 |
| Banana for scale. |
After wandering through the night market for a couple hours and buying that artillery knife, Knight and I decided to check out some of the underground tunnels the ROC troops used as protection against the PRC's attacks. Most of them are off-limits, but they've opened up one for tourists, so why not?
 |
| Entrance to the tunnels |
When we entered the building, we first went up some stairs to a waiting room, where they had a strategic map of Kinmen and Jincheng City spread out. They got upset when I tried to take a picture, so I didn't.
 |
| Up the stairs... |
 |
| Inside the waiting room. The pillar says "One Hundred Years of Glory and Blessings for Kinmen" |
We had to wait for a short while, as they don't just let you wander around- you're guided through the tunnels, and for good reason. For one, they're pitch black in places; for another, they're still in active use, and if someone was unsupervised (or up to no good), he could find one of the armories and potentially cause some trouble. Once a few people had gathered together, we watched a short video on Kinmen's history, and then descended into the depths...
 |
| Down we go... |
The tunnels extend all around the island. The one they've opened up to the public is only about a mile long, but a mile is long enough for us to get the idea- it's very dark, and very narrow, and very short (too short for me to stand up straight), with water leaking down from the ceiling in places. Walking through these tunnels- seeing off to the sides passageways leading to armories, or barracks, or meeting rooms- made me realize that this is not just some war memorial. They're ready to be attacked again. Things are comparatively peaceful between the ROC and PRC these days, but Kinmen was under an artillery barrage for over twenty years, and that's not counting the times when they were actually invaded by China. China still wants Taiwan, and Kinmen is still protecting Taiwan. It's the front lines if anything goes down again. I've never been in a place with that atmosphere before.
After emerging from the tunnels and enjoying some fresh air, Knight and I realized- we had no idea where we were.
Despite that, we confidently set off in the direction we figured our hotel was... and after about an hour of walking, admitted defeat and asked a nearby restaurant to call a taxi for us. Good thing we did, too; we were walking the wrong way!
The next day, we woke up early, helped ourselves to the hotel's free breakfast (grilled fish, toast and peanut butter- hearty!), got our stuff together and prepared to do the previously unthinkable- board a ferry to Xiamen.
 |
| New Golden Dragon for a new age |
Lately- since 2008- China and Taiwan have been doing more and more business together, although the primary sticking point- "who is the real China"- still remains unresolved, with both parties claiming the title. One of the first peaceful connections between China and Taiwan was the 小三通 "Three Small Links", ferry service between Kinmen and the three cities of Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou. Of those three, Xiamen is the closest city, so Knight and I bought tickets for Xiamen.
As we approached the Mainland, a fog set in, and I felt like we truly were in no man's land, but soon enough, shapes began emerging through the fog...
 |
| Xiamen |
This was Knight's first time leaving Taiwan, so he was enraptured by basically everything!
 |
| Ooo... China... |
And before too much longer, we had arrived. Going through customs was no problem- the visa I'd gotten in America worked no problem, and Knight had obtained the special document Taiwanese citizens need to go to the Mainland (it's not a passport or a visa, because that would mean China openly admits Taiwan is separate. They would never do that, so it's a special "movement permit"), so before we knew it were were loose in Xiamen!
Xiamen is an interesting place. It's the city China likes to hold up to Taiwan, to show Taiwan that, hey, joining us wouldn't be that bad! As a result, it's a lot cleaner than any of the Chinese cities I've been to before although just about as flashy.
 |
| Xiamen streets |
Notice something? Or rather, the lack of something? Inside Xiamen's city limits, motorcycles and bicycles are illegal. You cannot own nor operate either one, and if the cops see you they'll confiscate it and fine you. Of course, I still saw a couple people with bicycles, but not nearly as many as Taipei or Kinmen. They say it's because cycles of any kind are too dangerous, to themselves and people around them, and everyone should just buy a car instead. Of course, they don't have an MRT like Taipei's, and their bus system... well, it has problems. (They don't have a map or bus schedule anywhere! How are you supposed to know which bus to get on?) That meant a lot of taxis.
The food was good, though.
 |
| Hooray dumplings! |
I noticed Xiamen was much cheaper than Taipei. That dumpling place served us a huge plate of delicious dumplings for only 12 RMB- that's only about 60 kuai, or about $2 USD. The same thing in Taipei would cost 100 kuai
at least! The taxis were cheap, too- in Taipei they'll stop for 70 kuai, and it's another 5 kuai every 30 seconds. That's cheap compared to America, but it's got nothing on Xiamen- half the price, at most!
I also noticed that a lot of Xiamen's stuff was actually Taiwan's stuff. They didn't hide it, either- they advertised Taiwanese pineapple cakes, Taiwanese dumplings, Taiwanese oyster omelettes, Taiwanese stinky tofu... I guess Xiamen is where you go if you need to live in China but you want to eat Taiwanese food?
Anyway, once we'd gotten all of our stuff dropped off at our hotel, we got to figuring out what we were going to do for fun. It was at this point I realized my phone is completely useless in China. See, I have an Android phone, and not just any Android, but a Google Nexus. My internet is Google Chrome, my search is Google Search, my maps- Google, my calendar- Google. And Google is banned in China. I couldn't open any of it. I couldn't even download new apps that weren't Google, because my app store? Google's. Makes me think maybe I shouldn't be so dependent on one company!
In any case, we finally decided we'd head over to Gulangyu, an island slightly off Xiamen that used to be the Foreign Quarter.
 |
| Xiamen can be pretty too! |
Back during the Qing Dynasty, this part of Xiamen was purchased by the various Foreign Powers to be a place where they could have private residences, warehouses, churches, embassies, etc., with a little insulation from the surrounding Chinese culture. Of course, now that it's become kind of a holiday spot for Chinese people, some has crept back in... but it's still a cool place!
 |
| Old residences... |
 |
| Private gardens... |
It was like a little tiny piece of Europe, very cool! The food wasn't bad either! Here, no motorized vehicles of any kind are allowed, it's all walking. I gotta say, I really like being able to walk in a street without worrying about being run over all the time!
Gulangyu's coastline is pretty cool, too. Knight and I tried for about two hours to find an aquarium they advertised on the island, but all the streets go in random circles, and I think the signs actually disagreed with each other sometimes... so we didn't find it, but we did find this cool photo opportunity!
 |
| Very 帥! |
 |
| My turn! |
It was funny, actually- a lot of people in Xiamen, more than in Taipei, automatically assumed I couldn't speak Chinese. Even when I was speaking to them in Chinese, sometimes their preconceived notion that "foreigners can't speak Chinese" was so strong they would turn to Knight for a translation of my "English"! As a result, I got to hear a lot of people talking about us as we walked by, and the number one comment was- "Look, a foreigner carrying around a kid!" I don't know what reasons they came up with, but I bet it wasn't the right one!
Actually, in general I found Xiamen's people to be less polite than Taiwan's, and markedly so. That doesn't mean they weren't nice, just less polite; you know, they'd smile and help you as they spat on the ground in front of you, and be genuinely shocked when we thanked them in response. I get the feeling "thanks 謝謝" isn't something used a lot in China?
Anyway, Knight and I walked around the island for a while-
 |
| -ignore the pollution in the water, it's a nice beach- |
-then got back to Xiamen proper to check out what the Xiameners consider a night market.
 |
| This! |
Xiamen's night market was much, much bigger than any I'd seen in Taipei, but more spread out as well. There weren't the crowded stalls jutting into the street with motorcycles trying to get past the crowds that I've become used to- it was more like an American style strip mall, actually, except more walkable.
Speaking of American things:
 |
| I'm afraid they've invaded. |
Yes, China has Walmart. No, I didn't go in. I worked in Walmart for a short period a long time ago, I've had enough of Walmart for one life, thanks!
Some of you may have heard that China's buildings are growing a bit faster than China's people- for an example, you could check out
Ordos City, a city in Inner Mongolia that was built all at once for an expected population of one million people. It currently has 38,000 people living in it, and a whole mess of empty skyscrapers. Xiamen, it appears, is not exempt from this kind of development:
 |
| It's deserted! |
Time will tell whether this was a smart move by the Chinese government. Will the cheap prices created by there being so many empty lots encourage growth and small businesses, or will it lead to urban decay and housing bubbles? Either way, it does have a kind of eerie beauty...
Knight and I bought some small gifts for people back home- dried sea urchin, weird olives- a special kind of cookie they have, stuff like that- and went back to the hotel to crash.
 |
| Well, first we saw these statues and couldn't resist playing with them. Then we crashed. |
And that was pretty much the end of our excursion! It was short, but action-packed. The next morning, we woke up, got some breakfast pizza at Pizza Hut (because why not), and headed down to the ferry terminal...
...to discover that the ferry was stopped due to bad weather, and they didn't know when they would start up again.
 |
| Right... |
We ended up having to wait over five hours for the next ferry! We though about trying one of the other ferries to Kinmen- there are three, after all, and although we would have to spend money on a taxi to another city (expensive) we had a flight to catch back to Taipei, and missing it would be more expensive! Sadly, it turns out that although there are indeed three ferries to Kinmen, foreigners- meaning me, not Knight- are only allowed on this one. He decided to stick with me, and although we did end up missing our flight, we did eventually get back home to Taipei in one piece.
Xiamen was okay. I felt like it was trying to copy Taiwan very hard, and although it did a decent job, it still wasn't the same. Perhaps one day if I live in China and I want some nice Taiwanese Beef Stew, I'll hit up Xiamen, but as long as I live in Taiwan I don't think it's worth it to visit Xiamen. Kinmen, on the other hand, is interesting, with a very unique vibe. There were still things left undone when Knight and I left- among other things, that's where Taiwan's special moonshine called Kaoliang is made, and I never got to check out the brewery! It's cheap enough, too. I might just go back to Kinmen sometime in the future.
To sum up: Kinmen: go. Xiamen: skip.
