Kinmen Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Kinmen County

Quemoy; Chinmen; Chin-men

County

Flag	Coat of arms

Country

Republic of China (Taiwan)

Province

Fujian

Seat

Jincheng

Largest city

Jincheng

Boroughs

0 cities, 6 (3 urban, 3 rural) townships

Area

• Total

153.1 km² (59.1 sq mi)

Area rank

20 of 22

Population

(December 2014)

• Total

127,723

• Rank

20 of 22

• Density

834.25/km² (2,160.7/sq mi)

Time zone

UTC+8 (National Standard Time)

Website

Symbols

Bird

Hoopoe

Flower

Four-season orchid

Tree

Cotton tree

Kinmen or Quemoy, officially Kinmen County, is two groups of islands governed by the Republic of China (Taiwan) and located just off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The county consists of the Kinmen Islands (including Great Kinmen and Lesser Kinmen) and the Wuqiu Islands more than 110 kilometres (68 mi) to the northeast.

It is one of two counties under the streamlined Fujian Province of the Republic of China. The Kinmen Islands are located only about two kilometres (1.2 mi) east of the mainland city of Xiamen, and their strategic position has reflected the significant change of Cross-Strait relations from a battlefront to a trading point between China and Taiwan. Due to the ongoing issue of the political status of Taiwan, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has continuously claimed Kinmen County as part of its own Fujian Province.

Kinmen is notable for a number of cultural products. Due to the extensive shelling by the People's Liberation Army in the 1950s, Kinmen is famous for its artillery shell knives. Local artisans would collect the vast amounts of exploded ordnance and make high-quality knives which are still sought after by chefs and connoisseurs.

Kinmen is famous for the production of Kaoliang wine, which takes up about 75% of Taiwan's market share, in which it is a strong economic backbone of the county. Traditional industries are also being kept and improved, ranging from agriculture, fishery and livestock. It has a good fishery industry also due to its nature being surrounded by unpolluted sea.

Tourism

Kinmen Airport and Surrounds

Because of its military importance, development on the island was extremely limited. Only by 2003, Kinmen opened up itself to tourists from Fujian in Mainland China. It is now however a popular weekend tourist destination for Taiwanese and is known for its quiet villages, old-style architecture and beaches. Large parts of Kinmen form the Kinmen National Park which highlights military fortifications and structures, historical dwellings and natural scenery.

Kinmen Military Headquarters of Qing Dynasty

The year 2014 recorded the highest number of passengers traveling by ferry between Kinmen and Fujian ports for as many as 1.5 million people. Two infrastructure projects are expected to boost tourism and meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions visitors to the islands.

Major tourist attractions in Kinmen are:

August 23 Artillery Battle Museum, Guningtou Battle Museum, Hujingtou Battle Museum, Yu Da Wei Xian Sheng Memorial Museum
Gugang Lake, Jiangong Islet, Jincheng Seaside Park, Kinmen National Park
Deyue Gun Tower, Gulongtou Zhenwei Residence, Jhaishan Tunnel, Juguang Tower, Kinmen Folk Culture Village
Kinmen Military Headquarters of Qing Dynasty, Mashan Broadcasting and Observation Station, Mofan Street and Wuqiu Lighthouse

Images for kids

Jiangong Islet, with a Koxinga monument, in Kinmen Harbor
Kinmen Military Headquarters of Qing Dynasty
Attack in Quemoy (1663)
Map including most of the territory of Kinmen County (AMS, 1954)
Chin-men Tao (Quemoy Island, Greater Kinmen), Lieh Hsü (Lesser Kinmen), Tung-ting Hsü (Dongding Island), Wu-ch'iu Hsü (Daqiu), and Hsia Hsü (Xiaoqiu) "The Nationalist-held islands off the Chinese mainland are nominally a part of Fukien Province, but are presently under military administration." (1962)
Kinmen in the map on the obverse of the Commemorative NT$10 Coin in Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Taiwan's Retrocession (1995)
Wuqiu Lighthouse in Wuqiu, Kinmen
Artillery shells fired by the People's Liberation Army to Kinmen in the 1950s
A shisa (wind-lion god) carving in Kinmen
The Juguang Tower ("Brightness of Ju"), a famous landmark in Kinmen.
Zhaishan Tunnel
National Quemoy University
Tashan Power Plant
Water treatment plant in Kinmen
Kinmen Airport
Shuitou Pier
Calligraphy by former President Chiang Kai-shek etched on Wu-Wang-Zai-Ju Inscribed Rock
Anti-landing spikes on Lesser Kinmen (Lieyu) near Shi Islet with Xiamen (Amoy) in the background
Shuitou historical residence (水頭古厝)
Daitianfu (代天府) in Jincheng

Kinmen facts for kids

Tourism

Images for kids

See also