Kinmen Knife

Cleaver set with sharpener made from artillery shell remains

Close up of cleaver set with Kinmen engraving

The Kinmen Knife (金門菜刀) is a knife exclusively made in Kinmen County in Fujian Province, Republic of China. The knives were once made from the remains of artillery shells fired by the U.S. and Allied forces in World War II, and by mainland China between 1958 and 1978.

During the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, the People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China fired around 450,000 shells at the Quemoy islands in its conflict against the Republic of China which controls the islands. The shells have become a natural resource of steel for the local economy. Since the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, Quemoy has become famous for its production of cleavers made from PRC bomb shells. A blacksmith in Quemoy generally produces 60 cleavers from one bomb shell and tourists often purchase Kinmen knives as souvenirs together with other local products.

A blacksmith at Maestro Wu demonstrates the making of an artillery shell knife.

External sources

• Kinmen history
• The knives are out in Kinmen Taipei Times
• Kinmen Knife (Chinese)
• NHK好奇金門菜刀史：打台灣的砲彈作成刀　大陸人特愛 - NOWnews