The Kinmen Islands, located just offshore of mainland China, have long been at the forefront of military tensions. Now, the legacy of this conflict is becoming popular with tourists.
Far from the main island of Taiwan is a group of islands facing the Chinese mainland across a narrow strait.
The islands have experienced a history of constant tension with the mainland.
At the same time, strongly influenced by mainland China, they have developed a rich culture of their own.
We pay a visit to Taiwan's remote frontline islands.
Located 240 kilometers west of the main island of Taiwan, the Kinmen Islands are home to 140,000 people.
The Chinese city of Xiamen in Fujian Province is just a few kilometers away across the Taiwan Strait.
Until 1992, the Kinmen Islands were under martial law, and access was severely restricted.
"We will win."
These slogans displayed all over the islands call for unity in the fight against the Chinese Communist Party.
"Fight until we get back
our home mountains and rivers."
Various military facilities built on the frontline of Taiwan's defense are now attracting many tourists.
This battery was used in artillery fire against China on the other side of the Taiwan Strait.
The howitzers provided by the U.S. Army have a range of 17 kilometers.
This facility tells the history of the ongoing conflict between Taiwan and China across the strait.
This is a long way from the main island
of Taiwan.
I brought my children to learn more about
the history written in their textbooks.
At another facility built on the ruins of a military base, visitors can experience firing guns.
They simulate firing at enemies coming ashore with machine guns and compete for high scores.
It was fun but difficult, and I couldn't
hit any. It was so realistic.
There is a fortress that was prepared for attacks from across the strait.
The tunnel connected directly to the strait could accommodate 42 landing boats.
It was completed in 1966 after five years of work.
The tunnels that were used for carrying military supplies are now open to tourists.
This tranquil place also becomes the venue for a music festival every summer.
The Chinese people were divided across the narrow strait.
There is a huge wall overlooking the mainland on a hill on the main Kinmen Island.
Propaganda broadcasts to the mainland used to be sent out from here using forty-eight speakers.
The Asian pop diva Teresa Teng from Taiwan visited here in 1991.
Dear continental compatriots,
this is Teresa Teng.
I am now talking to you from
the radio station on the Kinmen Islands.
I hope that one day you will be able to
gain democratic freedom just like us.
In the center of town stands a bronze statue of Chiang Kai-shek.
Directly below it there is another military tunnel.
This is an underground fortress with an overall length of 2.5 kilometers and 22 entrances and exits.
The local residents who were members of a civil defense unit were called in to excavate the hard granite bedrock,
and the tunnel was finally completed in 1979.
If war breaks out above ground
and we are bombarded,
we'll gather all of our troops here
to maintain military power underground.
The civil defense units existed until 1992.
It was their duty to assist Taiwan's armed forces in their activities, such as transporting supplies and building bases.
All islanders over the age of 16 had to join a civil defense unit.
From the age of 20, it was our duty
to have a gun at home
and make gun emplacements.
We were not allowed to have a camera,
a radio, or a TV.
That was how we lived.
A particular type of souvenir imbued with the Kinmen Islands' history of conflict is popular.
Kitchen knives.
They are made from the cases of Chinese artillery shells that were fired at Kinmen.
Wu Tseng-dong is the blacksmith who makes the knives.
His grandfather, who was a knife blacksmith in Xiamen,
moved to the Kinmen Islands and came up with the idea of making knives using discarded shell cases.
In August 1958, the People's Liberation Army (PLA)
conducted a massive bombardment of the Kinmen Islands in an attempt to invade them.
It lasted more than a month and resulted in more than 400 casualties, including civilian residents.
The shells have now been transformed into a special Kinmen product.
They were also popular with the many mainland Chinese tourists who visited the islands before the Covid pandemic.
I didn't think Chinese visitors would want
to buy knives made from Chinese shells.
But they liked them very much.
I hope the knives will become a symbol
of peace between Taiwan and China.
The people of the Kinmen Islands have long been embroiled in Taiwan's relationship with mainland China.
They are now looking toward a new future as they wish for peace.