Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tack against Kinmen that lasted for 44 days and pummelled the island with almost
500,000 shells. Outside are fighter planes, tanks and cannons used during the siege.
Mt Lion Howitzer Station
MILITARY SITE
(Shīshān Pàozhèndì; 8.30am-5pm)
This recently opened military station carries multime-
dia displays of weapons used during the August 23 Artillery War in its 508m-long tunnel.
The exhibition eventually leads you to the casemate where a howitzer is installed and a
mock military drill is performed by volunteer residents and students six times a day. It's
just 500m east of Shanhou Folk Culture Village.
Military Brothel Exhibition Hall
MUSEUM
(Tèyuē cháshì zhǎnshìguǎn; 126 Xiaojing, Jinhu; 8.30am-5pm)
Euphemistically called a 'spe-
cial teahouse', this whitewashed complex used to be one of the brothels that were estab-
lished on the island to entertain officers and soldiers stationed there between 1951 and
1990. Today, it's a museum documenting the teahouse's busiest years for guests of a dif-
ferent kind.
Lake Ci
SCENIC AREA
(Cí Hú)
Saltwater Lake Ci did not even exist until the 1970s. Once an open harbour, the
lake was formed after the Nationalists constructed a causeway along the western sea-
shore following the battle of Guningtou. Today, the causeway is the perfect spot to take
in the beautiful lake and its great variety of birds.
Lake Tai
SCENIC AREA
(Tài Hú)
Just south of Shanwai is Lake Tai, a 5m-deep body of water that was dug entirely
by hand in the 1960s. The views from the south side take in Mt Taiwu, which from this
angle looks far more imposing than its 262m height would suggest.
Mt Taiwu
SCENIC MOUNTAIN
(Tàiwǔ Shān)
The highest mountain on Kinmen, Mt Taiwu rises a colossal 262m above sea
level. A road takes you about halfway up to a shrine and a
soldiers' cemetery
(gōng mù)
built in 1952 to honour the ROC soldiers who died in battle.
From here a walking path takes you to the top (the walk takes about one hour). Be on
the lookout for a famous stone inscription of one of Chiang Kai-shek's favourite one-
liners, 'Wú Wàng Zài Jǔ' or 'Don't forget the days in Ju', which is an exhortation to re-
cover the Chinese mainland based on a legend from the Warring States period in ancient
China.
