Kinmen
Discover Kinmen
Kinmen (金門 Kim-mn̂g in Minnan, Jīnmén in Mandarin, literal meaning "golden gate", also known as Quemoy) is a county comprising a number of outlying islands near the People's Republic of China (PRC) but controlled by the Taiwan-based Republic of China (ROC) government. All the islands of Kinmen county are within just a few kilometers of Mainland China, with the Xiamen city skyline clearly visible in the distance from many areas. Despite, and because of, its status as the front line in the semi-dormant China-Taiwan conflict, Kinmen is highly tourist-oriented, with the main themes being military history, historic architecture, and its signature gaoliang (kaoliang) grain alcohol.
What to Experience in Kinmen
Taste of Kinmen...
While Kinmen lacks the high price fancy fare of more populated locales, cheap delicious snack shops are everywhere in the downtown area of Kincheng. Taiwanese favorites such as fried chicken cutlets, fried oyster balls and chow mein can be found without much trouble. Prices average around NT$50 per item which is quite reasonable considering the quality. Kinmen is the home Kaoliang liquor (高粱酒), a tequila-like hard liquor that popular all over Taiwan and widely considered to be its national liquor. The factory is located right in the middle of the island, not far from the airport and is hard to miss with its distinctive smell and two two-story liquor bottles guarding the front gates. This is one of the upmarket brands of the widespread Chinese liquor bai jiu, and is often served to visiting foreign dignitaries at state banquets; see Chinese cuisine#Alcoholic for background. Prices for stays in Kinmen start from about $600 per person per night in the summer high season. Most of the accomodations are minsu (民宿), something in between a B&B and a small, independent hotel (often misleadingly labeled "homestays"). Many of the mid-range and upper-range ones are located inside beautifully-restored historic houses in Kinmen's outer villages. Though formal hostilities with the PRC ended by the early 1980s, Kinmen is still very much a front-line area. It is also advisable to avoid traveling to certain sensitive areas after dark, such as coastal areas or areas near military installations.
A Rich Past
Explore the historical roots that shaped Kinmen into what it is today.
In 1949, the Communists won the Chinese civil war, defeating the Nationalists (Kuomintang) who had governed (most of) China from the 1911 revolution until 1949. Since then, there has been a Communist government in most of China (the People's Republic of China or PRC) while the Nationalists held onto Taiwan, which is still officially called the Republic of China or ROC. The islands of Kinmen and Matsu are near the Chinese coast — Kinmen is about 10 km (under 6.5 miles) from Xiamen — but held by the Taiwan-based ROC. They are symbolically important, and strategically as well, and were often actively fought over from 1949 into the 1970s. The "Artillery Battle of 823" (part of the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis) was one of the key battles that kept the PRC from invading Taiwan. It involved artillery bombardment of Kinmen and Matsu, beginning on August 23 (8-23) 1958. Relations between the two governments improved greatly in the early 2000s; there is extensive Taiwanese investment in China, and until 2020 (due to both the COVID-19 pandemic and escalating tensions) travel in both directions was much easier than before, with Mainland China becoming biggest source of tourism to Kinmen. As in Taiwan proper, most residents throughout Kinmen county speak fluent (if accented) Mandarin, even if it's not the language they prefer to speak with their friends and family....
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsThere are ferries from the Xiamen in mainland China to 24.416278118.2864342 Shuitou Pier on the main Kinmen island. There are multiple daily ferries running between 09:00 and 17:30 each way, taking about 30 min in each direction. There is also a ferry from Quanzhou, but it is less frequent than the ferry from Xiamen, with only one ferry per day, taking about 1 h in each direction. There are no public ferries to Kinmen from Taiwan or any other islands under the Taiwan government's control. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was possible to take a ferry from Taiwan to Xiamen (in Mainland China), then take the Xiamen-Kinmen ferry to get to Kinmen. This assumes that you have a visa or visa-free entry eligibility for both China and Taiwan. Since Kinmen is under Taiwanese control, going there from mainland China counts as an exit. Thus, holders of single-entry visas cannot do short trips to from Xiamen to Kinmen and return....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
There are taxis on the island, though you need pretty good Mandarin or Minnan skills to negotiate a rate with the driver. They are also concentrated mostly in the city center, so you can't count on finding one just anywhere. If you can speak Mandarin or Minnan, most of the drivers are quite friendly, so one shouldn't worry about bargaining super hard. Most of them aren't looking to rip you off. Taxis from the Shuitou wharf to Jincheng city's downtown are NT$250 flat rate, and roughly NT$200 to return to the wharf. There are a few buses that run around, but they are not frequent and bus stops aren't particularly convenient. Roads in Kinmen are all paved, there are good maps at every village and in every hotel, and navigation apps are mostly accurate. Official road signs are written in both Chinese and English, and are fairly well-placed, but the road network is very extensive and haphazardly laid out, so expect to miss some turns and have to reroute or backtrack.
Where to Stay
Prices for stays in Kinmen start from about $600 per person per night in the summer high season. Most of the accomodations are minsu (民宿), something in between a B&B and a small, independent hotel (often misleadingly labeled "homestays"). Many of the mid-range and upper-range ones are located inside beautifully-restored historic houses in Kinmen's outer villages. Though formal hostilities with the PRC ended by the early 1980s, Kinmen is still very much a front-line area. It is also advisable to avoid traveling to certain sensitive areas after dark, such as coastal areas or areas near military installations. Visitors should also obey all orders given by military personnel and avoid entering or photographing sensitive areas. Be extra careful when you are at the coast. It is mostly surrounded by reefs, tidal changes are large, undercurrent flows are turbulent, and the water is cold. Many people died from drowning or freezing in the sea.
Money & Budget
Cleavers are Kinmen's best-known tourist product. They are famous for making excellent quality cleavers; the steel is said to be obtained from the hundreds of thousands of shells that the Communist forces fired at Kinmen, in a failed attempt to take the island away from the Nationalist troops. The most authentic knives and the best place for a factory tour is Maestro Wu's Knives. It is claimed that a single shell casing can make approximately 60 blades; this is doubtful. Also doubtful is the claim that current blades are made from shell casings, since shelling stopped in the late 1970s. Finishing quality for cleavers has dropped a lot since the mid-1990s.
Language & Talk
As in Taiwan proper, most residents throughout Kinmen county speak fluent (if accented) Mandarin, even if it's not the language they prefer to speak with their friends and family. Few people speak English, especially outside of tourist areas, but the level of English is perhaps slightly better than in rural Mainland China. The local language in most of the county is Minnan (aka Hokkien or "Taiwanese"). Due to its different history, the Kinmen variety of Minnan generally lacks the Japanese loan words that are ubiquitous in the varieties in Taiwan proper, and is instead perceived as being most similar to that of the Xiamen suburb of Tong'an in mainland China. However, Minnan speakers from Taiwan, Xiamen, and Kinmen can all generally understand each other.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
Though formal hostilities with the PRC ended by the early 1980s, Kinmen is still very much a front-line area. It is also advisable to avoid traveling to certain sensitive areas after dark, such as coastal areas or areas near military installations. Visitors should also obey all orders given by military personnel and avoid entering or photographing sensitive areas. Be extra careful when you are at the coast. It is mostly surrounded by reefs, tidal changes are large, undercurrent flows are turbulent, and the water is cold. Many people died from drowning or freezing in the sea. In addition, swimming in sensitive areas may cause unwanted attention from the military. Do not fish and swim in dangerous areas. All minefields were cleared in 2013. Nowadays, landmines are rare in Kinmen, and it is safe to walk almost anywhere without getting hit. However, some old landmines can still be found in rare cases.
Glimpses of Kinmen
a group of people standing on a bridge over a body of water
a view of a large body of water with a city in the background
The sun is setting over the ocean with clouds in the sky
a red building with oriental writing on it
brown bird on tree branch shallow focus photography
a group of people standing on a bridge over a body of water
a view of a large body of water with a city in the background
The sun is setting over the ocean with clouds in the sky
a red building with oriental writing on it
brown bird on tree branch shallow focus photography
a group of people standing on a bridge over a body of water
a view of a large body of water with a city in the background
The sun is setting over the ocean with clouds in the sky