Author LYLE LANGUILEY
Photographer XHIN TOH
Editor CHIH YI CHEN
Kinmen is an island drunk on nostalgia; it’s where visitors can experience a kind of Taiwan that’s like no other. It is also where Taiwan is closest to China, and it’s therefore not only the site of the country’s only cross-border swimming event, but the site of the only such challenge in all of East Asia.
To travelers who arrive on a one-hour flight from Taipei, it might come as a surprise that Kinmen initially feels not too different from the rest of Taiwan. However, moments in which Kinmen feels exceptional will come later, and they will not disappoint.
It might for example happen on the western shore of Lesser Kinmen Island, the smaller of the two connected pieces of land that comprise Kinmen County. Here, on Shuang Kou Beach (雙口海邊), the skyline of Xiamen, a Chinese city of over 5 million, is just a few kilometers away. It feels like it’s within swimming distance, and for the daredevil participants of the annual Kinmen-Xiamen Strait Crossing Swim, which starts right here, it indeed is.
Across the little Strait
The unequal neighbors, Kinmen and Xiamen, are tied to each other by their shared history. Residents on both sides experienced the same perks and hardships of living at the edge of the“Middle Kingdom”―from great business opportunities to piracy and war.
Starting in the 19th century, however, the residents of Kinmen were starting to be more economically successful than their peers in Xiamen. They were fewer, but their economy flourished. Even though resources were scarce, local families started to amass great wealth through trade, or more precisely, by sending their brightest male family members abroad to run trade operations on far-away foreign soil.
Their remittances helped finance stately mansions, schools and other institutions back home.
Steeped in history
The wealth of bygone times is ubiquitous in Kinmen. It’s also celebrated in its cuisine, probably most impressively at the Houpu District Soldiers’ Banquet (後浦總兵宴), where you can dine like top brass. It’s also reflected in its architecture, such as the“Western-style” building of Zhen Yang Lou (甄洋樓), a costume rental specializing in Qing-era fashion that also serves stiff drinks.
However, there are also many inconspicuous shops that wow culturally curious visitors. This includes Tsunde Chinese Pharmacy (存德藥房), a 192-year-old business renowned for its must-buy spices, including pepper powder, five-spices powder and various packs of marinade that give home-cooked food the fragrant smell of medicinal herbs. Additionally, the shop’s nightly “closing show” draws tourists from near and far who want to experience how thrifty business owners secured their premises two centuries ago.
Hinterland explorations
So far, you might have spent a few hours in downtown Jincheng (金城), Kinmen’s only major town, but it’s already clear that eventful centuries have left their imprint on the island; next you might want to explore the rural hinterland.
Kinmen’s landscape is dominated by scenic villages featuring traditional houses, many of which have become well-known tourist sights. Even the ones that carry the scars of tumultuous centuries, such as the Beishan Western-style House (北山古洋樓), wow visitors with ease and give them a deep sense of history.
In between the villages, there are scenic fields on which farmers grow sorghum, a crop that is otherwise not very common in Taiwan, but that is the main ingredient of another treasure of Kinmen: kaoliang.
Kaoliang is a baijiu-style liquor that the island became famous for after a military commander stationed on the island in the 1950s recognized Kinmen’s special climate and ample groundwater supply. The fact that those stationed on the island might have been interested in taking a bottle of this unique treasure back home to their loved ones, or maybe even drink it themselves, might also have contributed to this special island’s kaoliang boom.
Pathfinder
Kinmen Time Travel (浯島。時光旅程)
Kinmen boasts a distinctive blend of cultural charm and natural beauty. With immersive experiences, you can wander the ancient streets and discover fresh ways to experience the island’s rich heritage.
