Kinmen
POJ: Kim-mn̂g; also romanized Quemoy from Southern Min (in early Spanish romanization); literally "Golden Door" or "Golden Gate"), located at 24.44N, 118.33E, is a small archipelago of several islands administered by the Republic of China (ROC) government on Taiwan: Greater Quemoy (大金門), Lesser Quemoy (小金門), and some islets. Administratively, it is Kinmen County of Fujian (Fuchien) province. The county is claimed as part of Fujian's Quanzhou Prefecture by the People's Republic of China. Some islands of other counties, such as Wuciou, were transferred to the jurisdiction of Kinmen County by the ROC government following its retreat to Taiwan. Matsu is the other set of islands on the Fujian coast controlled by the ROC. |
The Jüguang ("Brightness of Jü") Tower is a famous Kinmen landmark. |
Many of the inhabitants speak the Southern Min language. Quemoy is geographically very near Xiamen (also known as Amoy).As part of Fuchien, Kinmen was not colonised by
Japan, as the island of
Taiwan and the
Pescadores were.
The island was the site of extensive shelling between PRC and ROC forces in the
1950s and
1960s and was a major issue in the
1960 United States Presidential Election between
Kennedy and
Nixon. In the 1950s, the United States threatened to use
nuclear weapons against the PRC, if it attacked the island. See
List of battles over Quemoy.
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Jincheng is the county seat of Kinmen. |
The island was a military preserve until the mid-
1990s when it was returned to civilian government and travel to and from
Taiwan was allowed. Because of its military situation, development on Quemoy was extremely limited and it is now a popular weekend tourist destination for Taiwanese and is known for its quiet villages and beaches. Direct travel between
mainland China and Quemoy was opened in
2002, and there has been extensive tourism development on the island in anticipation of Mainland tourists. Direct travel was suspended in
2003 as a result of the
SARS outbreak, but has since resumed.
The island consistently votes for the
pan-blue coalition. Until the early 1990s, proponents of
Taiwan independence argued that they would consider handing Quemoy to the PRC in any negotiated settlement. This did not sit well with residents, and the
Democratic Progressive Party has sharply backed away from that position to the extent that it added Quemoy and the other small islands to its party flag which contains a map of Taiwan.
|
The calligraphy of Chiang Kai-shek etched on a stone in Kinmen states, "forget not that you're in Jü" as an analogy to the Warring States Period where the State of Qi, cornered to the City of Ju, successfully counterattacked and retook his country from the State of Yan. Other slogans alluding to "retaking the mainland" can still be found in Kinmen. |
Kinmen County is subdivided into six
townships:
| Hanzi | Hanyu Pinyin | Wade-Giles | Tongyong Pinyin | English meaning |
|---|
| 金城鎮 | Jīnchéng | Chin-ch'eng | Jīnchéng | Golden City |
| 金沙鎮 | Jīnshā | Chin-sha | Jinsha | Golden Sand |
| 金湖鎮 | Jīnhú | Chin-hu | Jinhú | Golden Lake |
| 金寧鄉 | Jīnníng | Chin-ning | Jinníng | Golden Tranquility |
| 烈嶼鄉 | Lièy" | Lie-yü | Lièy" | Heroic Islets |
| 烏坵鄉 | Wūqiū | Wu-ch'iu | Wuciou | Black Mound |
|
All those townships on Greater Quemoy Island start their names with
Jin ("gold"). Lieyu Township encompasses the entire Lesser Quemoy Island, and is closest to
Xiamen.
Wuciou Township is comprised of Greater Ciou Islet (大坵) and Lesser Ciou Islet (小坵).
Jincheng and Jinsha are the largest of the six counties. Altogether, there are 37 Quemoy villages, Three of which are
Li-village (里), the rest are
Cun-villages (村).
See also:
Political divisions of the Republic of China*
Kinmen County Government Official Website *
Complete list of the villages in each township*
Maps of Kinmen*
Satellite image of Greater Quemoy and Lesser Quemoy by Google Maps
