Kinmen

Kinmen County 金門縣 Abbreviation(s): Kinmen (金門; Pinyin: Jīnmén)
County seat	Jincheng
Region	Southern Fujian
County Magistrate	Li Wo-shi (李沃士)
Cities	0
Townships	6
Area
- Total	153.056 km² (20 of 25)
- % water	0 %
Population
- Total	84,570 (December 2008) (24 of 25)
- Density	552.54/km²
Symbols
- County flower	Four-season orchid
- County tree	Cotton tree
- County bird	Hoopoe
Official websites	www.kinmen.gov.tw

Kinmen
Traditional Chinese	金門
Simplified Chinese	金门
Literal meaning	"Golden Door" or "Golden Gate"
Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Jīnmén - Tongyong Pinyin Jīnmén - Wade–Giles Chin1-men2 - IPA [tɕínmə̌n] - Yale Romanization Jīnmén Min - Hokkien POJ Kim-mn̂g/Kim-mûi Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping gam1 mun4
Kinmen County
Traditional Chinese	金門縣
Simplified Chinese	金门县
Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Jīnménxiàn - Tongyong Pinyin Jīnménsiàn - Wade–Giles Chin1-men2hsien4 - Yale Romanization Jīnménsyán Min - Hokkien POJ Kim-mn̂g-kōan

Kinmen or Quemoy (/kɪˈmɔɪ/; see also "Names" section below) is a small archipelago of several islands administered by the Republic of China (Taiwan): Greater Kinmen, Lesser Kinmen, and some islets. Administratively, it is Kinmen County of Fujian Province, ROC. The county is claimed by the People's Republic of China (PRC) as part of its own Fujian Province's Quanzhou Prefecture. It is geographically very near Xiamen, no more than 2 kilometers. Some islands of other counties, such as Wuchiu, were transferred to the jurisdiction of Kinmen County by the ROC government following its civil war defeat and retreat to Taiwan. Matsu is the other set of islands on the Fujian coast controlled by the Republic of China.

Names

Kinmen was first named Jīnmén (金門; lit, "golden gate") in Chinese 1387 when the Hongwu Emperor of China's Ming Dynasty appointed a military officer to administer the island and protect it from wokou (pirate) attacks. The name, pronounced Jīnmén in the official Mandarin Chinese and Kim-mûi in the native Zhangzhou dialect of Hokkien Minnan. The various names used in English for the islands derive from these name.

Quemoy is the name for the island in English and in many European languages. It likely began as a Portuguese transcription of the Minnan (Hokkien) Zhangzhou dialect pronunciation of the name, Kim-mûi. This form of the islands' name was used almost exclusively in English until the late 20th century and is still used widely in current English-language contexts that involve historical coverage. For example, current works that deal with the First and Second Taiwan Strait Crises (the Quemoy Incident) when the islands received prominent worldwide news coverage as "Quemoy" still use this form. In addition, the former National Kinmen Institute of Technology was renamed National Quemoy University in 2010. Kinmen scholar Wei Jian-feng advocates the use of "Quemoy" to better connect the island to "international society or achieve more recognition in the world".

Kinmen is a more recent transcription based on the Chinese Postal Map Romanization of the Republic of China (where k is used instead of ch or j for the initial sound in Wade-Giles Chin-men or pinyin Jīnmén). With some exceptions, this form is used in most current English-language contexts on Kinmen and in Taiwan as a whole. Entities such as the county government, the islands' airport, and the national park use this spelling.

Chin-men is the Wade-Giles romanization form of the island's name and appears on some maps using that as their standard.

Jinmen is the Hanyu Pinyin form of the island's name used especially in sources from the People's Republic of China. The Kinmen County Government and ROC central government have adopted Hanyu Pinyin as their standard romanization, such as for names of townships within Kinmen County, but this does not apply to the name of Kinmen itself.

History

See also: List of battles over Kinmen

The Prince of Lu was part of the Southern Ming Dynasty, resisting the invading Manchu Qing dynasty forces. In 1651, he fled to Kinmen and, in 1663, Kinmen was taken by the invaders.

Unlike the island of Taiwan and the Penghu islands, Kinmen was never ceded to Japan, because Kinmen was, and still is considered to be a part of Fujian Province, both to the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC), though Kinmen was occupied by Japan from 1937 to 1945.

The PRC extensively shelled the island during the First and Second Taiwan Strait Crises, which 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.

Kinmen was originally a military reserve. The island was returned to the civilian government in the mid-1990s, after which travel to and from it was allowed. Direct travel between mainland China and Kinmen was opened in 2001, 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.

Many Taiwanese businesspeople use the link through Kinmen to enter the Chinese mainland as it is seen as cheaper and easier than entering through Hong Kong. However, this changed following the 2005 Pan-Blue visits to mainland China and the presidential and legislative victories of the KMT, that allowed easier Cross-Strait relations. Kinmen has experienced a considerable economic boom as businesspeople relocate to the island for easier access to the vast markets of the PRC.

A shisa (wind-lion god) carving in Kinmen

Culture

The people of Kinmen see themselves as Jīnmén rén (Kinmenese), Mínnán rén (Southern Min, or Southern Fujianese), or Chinese, but not so much as Taiwanese. The strong Chinese identity was forged during the period of the ROC's military confrontation with the People's Republic of China (1949–1992) when Kinmen was under military administration. In the 1980s, as the militarization decreased and martial law was ended in Taiwan, the Taiwan independence movement and efforts in de-Sinicization grew in strength in Taiwan. To Kinmenese, however, these developments were viewed with concern and there was a feeling that "Taiwan didn’t identify with Kinmen". Many worried that Taiwanese de jure independence from China would lead to the severing of ties with Kinmen. These concerns play a strong role in Kinmenese politics as well.

Many of the county's inhabitants speak Hokkien. Since Kinmen is historically part of Fujian, most residents will say they speak "Kinmenese", as opposed to "Taiwanese" as it is commonly called in Taiwan, though the two dialects are mutually intelligible. The residents of Wuchiu Township speak Puxian Min, as opposed to Hokkien for the rest of Kinmen.

Kinmen is notable for a number of cultural products. Due to the extensive shelling by the People's Republic of China, 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 also home of the regionally famous Kinmen Kaoliang liquor, a spirit ranging between 38 and 63 percent alcohol, which is highly appreciated by the Taiwanese. Other local culinary specialties include Kinmen noodles (金門麵線), gongtang (貢糖) and beef jerky (牛肉乾).

Like the Ryukyus, Kinmen is known for shisa (wind-lion god) figures (風獅爺).

Economy

Kinmen's economy is mainly based on tourism and services due to its proximity to mainland China. A 5.4 km (3.4 mi) bridge connecting Kinmen Island (Greater Kinmen) and Lieyu is planned to be completed by June 2016, estimated to cost NT$7.5 billion (US$250 million). It is expected to integrated local tourism resources and the bridge's 1.4 km (0.87 mi) main body will have the largest span in the world when completed.

The slogan "Three Principles of the People unite China", written in traditional Chinese, the official language of the ROC, located in Kinmen, directly facing Mainland China

Tourism

Because of its military importance, development on the island was extremely limited. As a result, it is now 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. The Kinmen Airport is located on the Greater Kinmen.

Politics

The island consistently votes for the Kuomintang (KMT). Until the early 1990s, proponents of Taiwan independence argued that they would consider handing Kinmen over to the PRC in any negotiated settlement. Residents of the island have broadly opposed such measures, fearing the consequences of the PRC government's policies on their standard of living and political freedom.

Subdivision of Kinmen County into townships

Townships

Kinmen County is subdivided into six townships:

Name	Hanzi	Hanyu Pinyin	Wade-Giles	Tongyong Pinyin	Hokkien Pe̍h-ōe-jī	English meaning
Jincheng Township	金城鎮	Jīnchéng	Chin-ch'eng	Jīnchéng	Kim-siâⁿ-tìn	Golden City
Jinsha Township	金沙鎮	Jīnshā	Chin-sha	Jinsha	Kim-soaⁿ-tìn	Golden Sand
Jinhu Township	金湖鎮	Jīnhú	Chin-hu	Jinhú	Kim-ô·-tìn	Golden Lake
Jinning Township	金寧鄉	Jīnníng	Chin-ning	Jinníng	Kim-lêng-hiong	Golden Tranquility
Lieyu Township	烈嶼鄉	Lièyǔ	Lie-yü	Lièyǔ	Lia̍t-sū-hiong	Heroic Islets
Wuqiu Township	烏坵鄉	Wūqiū	Wu-ch'iu	Wuciou	O·-kiu-hiong	Black Mound

All those townships on Greater Kinmen Island start their names with Jin (i.e., Kin, lit. "gold"). Lieyu Township encompasses the entire Lesser Kinmen Island, and is the closest to Xiamen. Wuqiu Township comprises Greater Qiu Islet (大坵) and Lesser Qiu Islet (小坵).

Jincheng and Jinsha are the largest of the six townships. Altogether, there are 37 Kinmen villages, three of which – all in Zhen (鎮) – are Li-villages (里); the rest are Cun-villages (村).

Education

In August 2010, National Quemoy University (國立金門大學) was established from the Kinmen Technology Institute. It is located in Jinning Township, Kinmen. The islands also have a satellite campuses of Ming Chuan University and National University of Kaohsiung. Secondary educational institutions include National Kinmen Senior High School and National Kinmen Agricultural & Industrial Vocational Senior High School.

Gallery

• 

  Calligraphy by former President Chiang Kai-shek etched on a rock in Kinmen reads, "Forget not what happened in Jǔ" – an allusion to the Warring States Period when the State of Qi, cornered into the City of Ju by the State of Yan, successfully counterattacked and retook its territory. This is intended as an analogy to the situation between the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China. Other slogans alluding to "retaking the mainland" can still be found in Kinmen.

• 

  The Juguang ("Brightness of Ju") Tower, a famous landmark in Kinmen.

• 

  Jincheng, the county seat of Kinmen.

See also

• Administrative divisions of the Republic of China
• Township (Taiwan)
• List of cities in the Republic of China (Taiwan)
• Cross-Strait relations
• Boyu Road

External links and further reading

• Kinmen travel guide from Wikitravel
• Kinmen County Government Official Website
• Complete list of the villages in each township
• Maps of Kinmen
• Satellite image of Greater Kinmen and Lesser Kinmen by Google Maps
• Michael Szonyi, Cold War Island: Quemoy on the Front Line, Cambridge University Press (August 11, 2008), hardcover, 328 pages, ISBN-10: 0521898137 ISBN-13: 978-0521898133; trade paperback, 328 pages, ISBN-10: 0521726409, ISBN-13: 978-0521726405
• "Once a Redoubt Against China, Taiwan’s Outpost Evolves" feature article by Edward Wong and Xiyun Fukada in The New York Times September 16, 2011