1. Kinmen Island, a small island located off the coast of Xiamen City, Fujian Province, has a relatively slow pace of life and mainly relies on fishing and tourism to sustain itself. The history of Kinmen Island can be traced back to the Jin Dynasty, when the Central Plains was in turmoil, and people crossed the sea to take refuge here. In the twentieth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1387), the Golden Gate City was built on the island, and this name has been used to this day. The name of Kinmen derives from the strategic importance of its geographical location, which means "impregnable as gold, majestic town of Haimen". Today, Kinmen Island is no longer the front-line military stronghold of the past, and it has shown a peaceful and friendly posture in the face of Xiamen.
2. The relationship between Kinmen Island and Xiamen is particularly close, and the residents here have a very high opinion of the mainland, and many have even purchased real estate in Xiamen. This kind of cross-strait closeness is vividly expressed on Kinmen Island. With the development of the three mini-links between the two sides of the strait, the ties between Kinmen and the mainland have become increasingly close, and almost every resident on the island has a Taiwan compatriot's card, and they go straight to Xiamen whenever something happens, and many even choose to settle in Xiamen.
3. Kinmen Island is only 10 kilometers away from Xiamen, choking the throat of Xiamen Port. Standing on the island, you can clearly see the high-rise buildings of Xiamen. The main island of the island covers an area of 132 square kilometers, shaped like a butterfly with wings, and the terrain is mainly mountainous and hilly. However, Kinmen Island is facing a shortage of water resources, and the amount of natural precipitation is far from meeting the needs of residents and agriculture. To this end, Kinmen Island and Quanzhou City have established a cross-sea water pipeline to deliver a large amount of tap water from Quanzhou City to Kinmen Island every day to ensure that the island's residents can use clean tap water.
4. The political, economic and cultural center of Kinmen County is located on the largest island, and it has also become a tourist attraction that countless tourists yearn for. To get to Kinmen from the mainland, visitors usually choose to depart via Wutong Pier in Xiamen, which is about a 30-minute boat ride to Shuitou Pier in Kinmen. During the journey, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the sea and feel the closeness between the two sides of the strait.
5. In Kinmen, the mainstream currency is the New Taiwan dollar, and the exchange rate with the renminbi is about 1:4.3. Tourists can exchange money at banks and exchange offices in Xiamen or Kinmen. It is worth mentioning that most of the merchants and restaurants in Kinmen use cash transactions and rarely use WeChat or Alipay, so it is very necessary to carry some change. Otherwise, you may encounter difficulties in making change or additional fees.
6. Most of the buildings on the island retain the traditional Hokkien style. Modern high-rise buildings are rare here, due to the climate and geography of Kinmen Island. Frequent typhoons and strong winds make high-rise buildings impractical here. In addition, the island is flat and surrounded by the sea, and the wind direction is changeable, and high-rise buildings can affect the natural flow of wind. Kinmen Island has maintained its pristine appearance and has not undergone excessive development. Roads are narrow, wasteland is plentiful, and low-rise buildings, telephone poles and old-fashioned billboards are everywhere. Both the town and the countryside maintain a clean and tidy environment, free of garbage and traces of pollution.
7. In addition to Jincheng Town, the universities, main roads, villages, parks and other places on the island are sparsely populated, giving people the feeling of being in a parallel world. Despite being off the beaten track, the facilities are fairly clean and easy to use. Public facilities such as hand sanitizer neatly placed by the faucet, refrigerators and water dispensers in the park's nursing room are all functioning normally.
8. Although the living conditions in Kinmen are not as rich as those in Xiamen, they are also quite comfortable. There are many independent private homes in rural areas with their own yards and fields. These residences are old in appearance and do not have the air of luxurious new buildings in rural Fujian, but they are part of Kinmen's cultural heritage. The exterior is simple, but the interior is warm and comfortable, with the atmosphere of family and affection.
9. Lieyu Island, as the second largest island in Kinmen County, is less than 5 kilometers away from Xiamen. From the coastline of Xiamen, the outline of Lieyu Island is clearly visible. The topography of Lieyu Island is similar to that of Kinmen Island, both are flat sandbanks with roughly the same soil quality. The architectural style is also in the same vein as Kinmen Island, and most of them are Hokkien-style brick houses. The population of Lieyu Island is smaller than that of Kinmen Island, but it is also rich in tourism resources, such as beaches, hot springs, historical sites, etc.
10. The inhabitants of Kinmen Island are extremely warm to tourists from the mainland and sincerely welcome everyone who comes. Whether you use Hokkien or Mandarin, you can communicate with the locals without hindrance. The people of Kinmen have a strong sense of identity with the mainland, and they are friendly and cordial, and in the exchanges with them, we can deeply feel that they regard the mainlanders as a family without any estrangement. When shopping on Kinmen Island, the waiters are kind and generous, take the initiative to greet warmly, and the bosses are also very polite, and will not force customers to buy, nor will they be treated differently because you are a foreigner. Some of the shops and attractions accept Alipay and WeChat Pay, while others only accept cash in TWD, so it's wise to bring some TWD with you.
11. Kinmen uses 110V voltage, and tourists had better prepare three-hole conversion plugs in advance. Most hotels use compatible plugs, but for some special devices, such as laptops, a special three-pin converter may be required. However, this converter is often available at the hotel front desk.
When you arrive at the pier, the first thing to do is Wi-Fi, because in this age of networking, it is very inconvenient to do without it. It is advisable to contact the staff at the portable Wi-Fi and battery car before the boat ride, and they will tell you the exact location so that you can find it quickly even if you don't have an internet connection.
12. Although there is arable land on Kinmen Island, its grain production is not optimistic. Rainfall is scarce, droughts are frequent, and there are many reservoirs, and the water supply is still insufficient to feed the crops. As a result, farmers on Kinmen Island have no choice but to grow crops that can adapt to the drought, such as sorghum, maize and more
Peanut. The island's resources are scarce, and many necessities need to be imported from Xiamen.
The older the Kinmen sorghum wine, the more mellow the quality of the wine and the better the taste. Interestingly, some people jokingly said that "the blood vessels of Kinmen people are all Kinmen sorghum wine". In addition to sorghum wine, Kinmen also has other delicacies, such as Cantonese porridge, noodle batter, yellow beef, etc. When visiting Kinmen, you can choose Kinmen tribute candy, sorghum wine chocolate fudge, sorghum handmade egg rolls, Kinmen baked cakes, Kinmen sorghum wine, etc. as souvenirs.
13. In Kinmen, a lunch is about 50 yuan, and tourists can settle in a good hotel for one night at a price of two or three hundred yuan. The B&B I stayed in is located near the Golden Gate Bridge, and the double room is about 500 yuan per night, and the family suite is about 700 yuan per night. The B&B is clean and hygienic, the items are neatly placed, the B&B owner has a cute little kitten, the proprietress is gentle and considerate, and she has a sense of identity with tourists from the mainland, and treats people like a family. There are also tea, coffee and other drinks in the homestay. The next day, the owner also personally prepared a local breakfast in Kinmen.
14. The local cuisine of Kinmen is mainly Hokkien cuisine, with a variety of dishes, including seafood, meat, noodles and snacks, which are very suitable for the taste of mainlanders. You can eat Kinmen's specialties such as Kinmen fried rice, Kinmen beef noodles, Kinmen shortbread, Kinmen peanut candy and so on at various restaurants or night markets in Kinmen.
15. In terms of education, from kindergarten to junior high school, there is no tuition and miscellaneous fees, there is also a free nutritious lunch, and primary school students also have free fresh milk twice a week. Students in high schools and vocational schools receive NT$5,000 and NT$4,000 per year in transportation subsidies, while college students receive NT$10,000 in tuition subsidies and 4,000 yuan in transportation vouchers per year. Freshmen at Golden Gate University are even more blessed with a laptop for free, as well as tuition and fees for those with excellent grades.
16. For small families in Kinmen, each newborn family will receive a subsidy of NT$20,000, and the subsidy for non-first-born children is even greater. According to the number of children in the family, mothers can get a subsidy of 1,000 yuan per month. A mother who is raising one child full-time has a monthly subsidy of NT$3,000 and two children is NT$5,000.
For those over 65 years old, the monthly pension is NT$6,000.
17. On Kinmen Island, battery cars are the best choice for travel. An international driver's license is required to rent a car, and buses are relatively infrequent, only half an hour to an hour. In fact, I've hardly ever seen anyone waiting at a bus stop, and the occasional bus that passes by is mostly empty. Riding an electric car around Kinmen Island, from east to west takes about 20 minutes, and by bus, you may have to wait for half an hour and travel time of 10 minutes. The roads in Kinmen are mostly narrow, but very smooth, with few vehicles, and motor vehicles are friendly to electric cars and motorcycles, and do not honk their horns. When riding, the sea breeze is light, the view is wide, and the surrounding water, trees, hills, and various temple buildings are very pleasant!
The owner of the hostel where we stayed recommended a car rental and was so attentive that he would even drive to the hostel to pick up guests to the car rental shop. The high-horsepower blue battery car can reach a speed of 45-60 yards and rent for NT$1,000 a day, while the low-horsepower pink battery bike is suitable for two girls to ride, with a speed of about 30 yards and a rent of NT$800 a day.
18. There are four small towns on the main island of Kinmen: Jincheng Town, Jinning Township, Jinhu Town, and Jinsha Town.
Jinhu Town: Gathering historical sites, such as Juguang Tower, Shuitou Settlement, etc., it is an excellent place to explore history.
Jinning Township: Famous for its natural scenery, Cihu Lake, Beishan Cliff and other scenic spots.
Jinhu Town: Rich in shopping experience, Shenghengchang, Fengshi Ye and other places are a paradise for shopping lovers.
Jinsha Town: Famous for its ancient villages, Yangqu Ancient Street, Shamei Ancient Street, etc., with an antique style.
Although there are not many attractions in Kinmen, each has its own characteristics, and riding an electric car is enough time to visit most of them in a day to a day and a half. It is worth mentioning that these attractions are free to enter, and some places also offer free guided tours.
Here are a few of the attractions that I think are more interesting:
Juguang Tower: Located at a higher altitude, when the weather is fine, you can overlook Xiamen Huandao Road and other places, with a wide field of vision, and it is an excellent place to enjoy the panoramic view of Kinmen.
Shuitou Ancient House: There are many old houses with southern Fujian and Taiwanese characteristics, including some Western-style small western-style houses, which is a good place to learn about the local architectural style.
Qing Bing General Yamen and Model Street: Two scenic spots are adjacent to each other, and Model Street is famous for selling special products.
Jiangong Island: There are statues on the island, which need to be visited at low tide. There are many small crabs on the edge of the stone path.