The ending of the trip in Kinmen

    After introduced you guys so many information about Kinmen, what's you first thought about Kinmen right now? Is Kinmen a precious land? Is Kinmen's scenic spots marvelous? Is Kinmen' culture interesting? Or is Kinmen still regarded as a normal place to you? Well, the answers will all up to you! What I want to share and express here is that I love my hometown. The main purpose of writing this blog is to let people from anywhere of the world know that Kinmen is a good place. In Taiwanese people's thoughts, they think Kinmen is a boring, barren and lifeless place. And because of these reasons they don't even take a look at this historical land. To me, Kinmen is not only a historical land but also a land full of friendliness. Kinmen has delicious delicacies. Kinmen has beautiful tourist spots. Kinmen has educational meanings toward our young generations who didn't go through the baptism of wars. All in all, there are great amount of lessons we can learn from Kinmen.

    Kinmen is a nice place for people to relax themselves. Most of the citizens in Kinmen are elders, which means above 65-year-old. Why? Because of the good environment and low pollution rate. Elders in Kinmen can enjoy their everyday naturally. They chat with their neighbors. They live lives without heavy pressures. They don't have to worry about trifles. The only thing they have to do in Kinmen is enjoy their peaceful lives.

    People in Kinmen born in to be always optimistic. They satisfied what they have. They are grateful for what gods have given them. They don't like to quarrel. Actually, they love in peace. Live in Kinmen is a heavenly enjoyment. I, as one of the citizens of Kinmen, am greatly proud of that I'm one of the children of Mother Kinmen! :)

(pictures souce: Google)

Great Scenic Spots in Kinmen (2)

    Continue to introduce other scenic spots in Kinmen for you! In the last article I introduced the Tai-Wu Section and Goo-Ning-Tou Section, this article will finish the other famous sections in Kinmen.

    The third is Goo- Gung Section. In this section we can see Shui-Tou Village. The village is named as the third excavation among the list. The village seperated into four parts, front boundary, middle boundary, down boundary, and hind boundary. The buildings in the village are like szu-ho-yuan in ancient Taiwan. In the Shui-Tou Village, there is a tower call De-Ueh Tower. That tower is also an excavation, too. The owner of the tower is a man named Hui-Hung Huang who run business in Indonesia and made a big fortune. 

(The picture of Shui-Tou Village)

(The picture of De-Ueh Tower)

Next one is Jhaishan Tunnel; one of the famous tunnels in Kinmen. The tunnel is built in an A-shaped tunnel. Total is 357 meters long. The tunnel took three years to be accomplished. The purpose of the tunnel is to portage some supplies by small landing-boats. Moreover, many people died because of the construction of the tunnel. The tunnel was open to visit on the year 1998.

(The picture of Jhaishan Tunnel)

    The next section is Ma-Shan Section. The most special one in this section is Ma-Shan Observation Station. Ma-Shan Observation Station is located in the northest part of Kinmen. There are just 2300 meters between the Ma-Shan Observation Station and the land of China. The main purpose of Ma-Shan Observation Station is to forecast the weather. People can use telescope to see some islands of Mainland China. Sometimes, people even can just see those islands and China by their eyes in a good weather.

(The picture of Ma-Shan Observation Station)

    The last section is Leh-Ueh Section. Leh-Ueh, another name is Small Kinmen. Located next to Kinmen. The famous scenic spot in Leh-Ueh is Giang-Chung Temple. General Lee is worshiped in the Giang-Chung Temple. Legend says that General Lee is a man who was good at study and military. He loved his citizens and did his best to protect them. At Ming Dynasty pirates domineered between Taiwan and China. Once pirates wanted to invade Leh-Ueh plundered people's fortune. General Lee changed all the leaves into warriors and scared away the pirates. That is the origin of the Chiang-Chung Temple.

(The picture of Chiang-Chung Temple)

    After introducing so many hot scenic spots, don't you think that Kinmen is a great scenic heaven? To me, absolutely yes. Though Kinmen is not a popular touring place to young generations, I still strongly recommend young people to visit here. Once you have been here, you can totally understand and realize what Kinmen is. Hope you can visit Kinmen in your free time to discover something precious!

(picture sources: Google and Kinmen National Park)

Great Scenic Spots in Kinmen (1)

    As we know that Kinmen is a land filled with historical sites. Also, Kinmen is a place known for scenic spots and delicacies. In this article, I'm going to introduce Kinmen section by section. You can know what's the most popular scenic spot in there!

    First one is Mt. Tai-Wu Section. In this section, we can see the famous scenic spot, the stone of "Wu-Wong-Tsi-Chu". The stone was named by ex-president Chiang. The purpose of this stone is to arouse soldier's morale.

(The picture of the stone of "Wu-Wong-Tsi-Chu")

823War Memorial Hall is also one of the famous spots in this section. This building is built to preserve some historical deeds. Some precious debris and pictures are all preserved in the Hall in order to let people to visit. 823 War is also an important event in the history of Taiwan. Were it not for Kinmen, Taiwan now would under the rule of China. 

(The picture of 823 War Memorial Hall)

Chin-Guo Chiang Memorial Hall. Why people in Kinmen want to build this building? Well, the reason is that Mr. Chaing has done many attributions to Kinmen. He not only cared the living condition of people in Kinmen but also made some important revolutions which made not only Kinmen but also Taiwan great progress. So because of these reasons, people in Kinmen built this Memorial Hall to remember Mr. Chiang with gratitude.

(The picture of Chin-Guo Chiang Memorial Hall)

The last one in this section is The Wind Lion. As what I've mentioned in the previous article, The Wind Lion is the tutelary god of Kinmen. Their functions are really varied. Some control the sea while others control the wind. No matter which kind of Wind Lion, they are all believed can protect people in Kinmen away from disasters. The Wind Lion also can keep fortune for people. So in Kinmen The Wind Lion is highly praised as the protector of Kinmen.

(Pictures of The Wind Lion)

    The second section is Goo-Ning-Tau section. In this section, the most famous one is Goo-Ning-Tou War Memorial Hall. In addition to the 823 War, GOO-Ning-Tou War is another important historical event in Kinmen and both in Taiwan. The purpose of building this Memorial Hall is to reappear the scenes of preparing and fighting in the war at that time. There are even some documentaries in the Memorial Hall for people to watch and know deeply to the historical background. 

(The picture of Goo-Ning-Tou Memorial Hall)

Another famous scenic spot is Shung-Li Lake. Shung-Li Lake is well-known for bird watching. People can see different kinds of birds at the banks of Shung-Li Lake. In addition to bird watching, people can see various kind of fish in the Shung-Li Wetland Natural Park including horsefoot, lancelet, and China beluga, etc. 

(The picture of Shung-Li Lake Observation)

Kinmen -- The Hometown of Delicacies (2)

    Because Kinmen has so many delicacies, I seperate the introduction into two parts. In this part, I still want to recommend some local food in Kinmen. Although they are not exclusive food, their taste can really compare with those feasts.

    The most special one -- all beaf meal. Why all beaf meal is so popular in Kinmen, especially in Gaokeng? Well, because all the diashes are related to beaf! There are beaf galantine, beaf soup, beaf stir-fry, and so on. Why all beaf meal is so delicious? The major reason is the beaf is super fresh! After conducted by the magical hands of chef, beaf can be an exclusive food. I have eaten tha all beaf meal twice, and my reflection about the meal can only describe in one word -- awesome!

(The picture of the all beaf meal in Gaokeng)



    The next one is clay oven rolls. You will think that "Clay oven rolls!? I can see them everywhere in Taiwan! Why should I buy them from Kinmen?" Right, this is a great question to answer. People think that clay oven rolls is so common in  our daily lives so why should they go to Kinmen and taste that rolls. The clay oven rolls in Kinmen really different from other kinds of rolls. There are two favors, savory favor and sweet favor. I strongly recommend the savory favor. There are some spring onion and sauce in the middle and some sesame seeds on the top. After baking, the surface becomes crispy. To me, clay oven rolls is really the best local food presentor in Kinmen.

(the picture of the clay oven rolls)

    The third is deep-fried oysters. Because Kinmen is surrounded by sea, people in Kinmen can really have a great chance to taste those delicacies. Deep-fried oysters means a cake oysters covered with thick potato flour and some vegetable and then fried. The surface is crispy and a litte biy salty. The taste will be great if the oyster is really fresh.

(the picture of the deep-fried oyster)

    The last one is sweet cake. Sweet cake is the local snack of Kinmen. The favor of the cake is really simple, peanut favor or butter favor. The surface taste soft and a little bit sticky. Peanut favor is my recommendation. The combinition of peanut fragrance and sweet cake is pretty good! The cost is resonable, around 50 New Taiwanes Dollar for a whole cake.

(the picture of the sweet cake)

(The source of the pictures are from Google research)

Kinmen -- The Hometown of Delicacies (1)

    Last time we introduced the Underground tunnels in Kinmen. For this time, I'm going to introduce the food and delicacies in Kinmen!

    When we talk about foods in Kinmen, the first thing we will think of is sticky candy. There are four main favors of sticky candy which are peanut favor, peanut sesame favor, maltose favor and garlic favor. In my opinion, peanut and maltose favor are the most popular favor among them. There is a tale about the origins of sticky candy. In Ching Dynasty, people from the whole world would go to China with their presents in order to make friends with the emperor. They presented their presents with great respect to the emperor. At that time, some people brought candies for the emperor, and because it was dedicated to the emperor so the candy was named "contribute candy"(today's sticky candy). Why sticky candy from Kinmen is so delicious? The main reason is they are handmade instead of by machine. This is the major reason why sticky candy from Kinmen is so popular.

(the picture of peanut favor sticky candy)

(the picture of peanut sesame favor sticky candy)

(the picture of maltose favor sticky candy)

(the picture of garlic favor sticky candy)

    Second delicacy of Kinmen is thin noodles. Due to Kinmem's special weather, people can produce such delicious thin noodles here. The wind is strong and the temparature is quite medium. If you want to produce good thin noodles, wind and temparature are the most important key factors. The thin noodles from Kinmen tastes more fragrant and smoothe than other thin noodles. Thanks to the strong wind in Kinmen, we can have this kind of delicious thin noodles to eat!

(the picture of thin noodles)

    The third one of delicacies is Cantonese porridge. People may ask there are many kinds of Cantonese porridge why you love the Cantonese porridge from Kinmen? Well, actually, they taste really different. The content of Cantonese porridge in Kinmen is different from other Cantonese porridge. The rice is the major difference. The rice of Cantonese porridge in Kinmen is nearly boiled as soup. They are not taste as a whole round rice. When you eat Kinmen's Cantonese porridge, you will feel like you're drinking soup. You don't even need to chew, and that's good to the old. Kinmen's Cantonese porridge includes meatballs, pork liver, lean meat, fish stick, and an egg. People in Kinmen used to eat Cantonese porridge with deep-fried fluffy dough sticks. That is really awesome!

(the picture of Cantonese porridge)

     The last one is Gaoliang wine. Although I'm a man who don't drink any kind of wine, I still prefer the Gaoliang wine in Kinemn. Why? Because the wine is full of the storng and thick aroma of Gaoliang. In every occasion you can see Gaoliang wine there. As I heard about Gaoliang wine from those who like to drink, they think it's the best wine of the world. But, don't drink too much. The result could be really dangerous and deadful.

(the picture of Kinmen Gaoliang)

(the source of the pictures are from Google research)

Underground Tunnels -- The Masterpiece Left Behind The Wars

    After the brief introducing of Kinmen, now we can dig deep into the island Kinmen.

(The picture of the map of tunnel)

    Just as I have mentioned in the previous article, Kinmen is the hometown of the wars. There were several famous and important wars that happened in the history of Kinmen. If there were not the underground tunnels, maybe Kinmen would be a deadful island now. Why? Because the underground tunnels kept the soldiers and the citizens away from the air attack. Their enemies used bombs and missiles as their primary weapon. In order to decrease the damage of air attack, all the soldiers and citizens in Kinmen started to build the underground tunnels. Well, some people may ask if the tunnels were not stable enough, the damage could only be much more serious. Fortunately, some of the rock under the ground in Kinmen is granite which is really strong, stable and less damaged. But, there comes to a point. The granite is so strong and stable that increases the difficulty of building the underground tunnels. At that time, many citizens and soldiers died of building the underground tunnels. The major cause is they have to use bombs to explode the granite, and that is really dangerous.

(The picture of Jincheng Tunnel)

(The picture of Chongling Tunnel)

   

    In addition to the tunnels for the military purpose, there are other tunnels for the ship and transmit the necessities, like Jhaishan Tunnel. In order to maintain people's living in Kinmen during the war session, they can just transmit the necessities by ship. Furthermore, they started to build the tunnel for shipping and the purpose is to keep those ships away from being attacked.

(The picture of Jhaishan Tunnel)

    Thanks to all those tunnels in Kinmen, people can live happily and peacefully now. If there were not those tunnels, people in Kinmen and both in Taiwan may not be saved from the attack during the war sessions. Underground tunnels are not only sightseeing spots for people in Kinmen but also the great historical sites that let this island keep alive.

Kinmen -- The Hometown of the War, Food and History

    People may have heard of the name Kinmen, but they have never been there or known where the island is. For this reason, I would like to introduce this historical and beautiful island to you. Thanks to the convenient public transportation, you can go to Kinmen easily by taking an one hour flight. When we talk about Kinmen, the first thing comes up in people's mind is the war. There were some famous wars like the 823 War and The War of Guningtou in the military history of Kinmen. Instead of those famous wars, sightseeing and special local food are also the features of Kinmen.

(The map of Kinmen)

   

    My parents were both born in Kinmen, and due to this, I have some great chances to visit the beautiful island. My parents' hometown are both in Jincheng, the most prosperous town in Kinmen. The most famous tourist spot in Jincheng is Juguang Tower. The men who have been assigned as soldiers to Kinmen have the same memory about the Juguang Tower. The tower even becomes the landscape of both Jincheng and Kinmen. Also there are others famous spot like Mountain Taiwoo and Arch of Virtue and Piety for Ciou Liang-Gong’s Mother in Jincheng.

(The picture of Juguang Tower)

(The picture of Arch of Virtue and Piety for Ciou Liang-Gong’s Mother)

 (The picture of Mountain Taiwoo)

    In addition to the sightseeing, the local food of Kinmen is also world famous. For example, sticky candy, Kaoliang wine and clay oven rolls are the very first products that people come to Kinmen want to buy. The sticky candy is really delicious. Although people in Taiwan can buy sticky candy and clay oven rolls in some stores, the taste and the mouthfeel are really different to the those sold in Kinmen. When we discuss the issue of wine, the very first thing people will say is the Kaoliang wine from Kinmen. The strong aroma of the Kaoliang wine is the most praised feature by people who like to drink.  In addition, the only dish you can find in Kinmen is a full menu of the beef dishes. The dishes are all made of beef and that's the most incredable and delicious food I have ever tasted.

(The picture of sticky candy)

(The picture of clay oven rolls)

(The picture of Kaoliang wine)



    When you come to visit Kinmen, you can never miss, The Wind Lion, the tutelary god for all of Kinmen. According to the statistics made by the Kinmen County, there are sixty eight kinds of  The Wind Lion in the entire Kinmen. Each of them is different. Some are big and tall while others are small and short. The reason why The Wind Lion is the tutelary god of Kinmen is that the wind damage in Kinmen was strong, and people believe that The Wind Lion can scare away the bad thing, especially the wind damage. Also, they think lion is the king of the animals so the majestic The Wind Lion has can keep away the misfortune. Nowadays, people in Kinmen still praise and worship The Wind Lion and regard them as the tutelary god of the Kinmen.

(The pictures of The Wind Lion)

    After some basic introduction of Kinmen, do you have a strong feeling that want to visit and take many photos there? I would like to visit there again right now! Kinmen is not only an island which contains many historical events but a place filled with enthusiasm and friendliness. If you have free time or a short vacation,  a trip to Kinmen is a nice choice. Go there and explore something fascinating by your tongue, your eyes and your haert!

(The picture sources is from the website of the Tourism Bureau of Kinmen Couty and Yahoo picture searching, http://tour.kinmen.gov.tw/english/ , http://tw.yahoo.com/)