The county consists of the major island of Kinmen along with several surrounding islets, as well as Wuqiu Township remotely located 133 km (83 mi) northeast from the rest of the county.[4] Kinmen is one of two counties that constitute Fuchien Province; the other is Lienchiang County (Matsu).
Kinmen's strategic location in the Taiwan Strait has caused numerous confrontations, making it a visible embodiment of political change on cross-strait relations. In August 1958, Kinmen was heavily bombarded by the People's Liberation Army during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis. Travel restrictions between Kinmen and the main island of Taiwan were lifted in 1994 following the end of decades-long military administration over Kinmen. A direct ferry route to Xiamen was inaugurated in January 2001 following the establishment of the Three Links.[5]
The People's Republic of China (PRC, China) claims Kinmen as part of its own Fujian Province and considers Wuqiu to be a separate territory of Fujian apart from Kinmen itself; conversely, the ROC claims the Dadeng Islands (Tateng) as part of Kinmen, even though the PRC has effectively transferred the jurisdiction of those islands to Xiamen.
Kinmen (金門) means 'golden gate'. The name was first recorded in 1387 when the Hongwu Emperor appointed Zhou Dexing to administer the island and protect it from pirate attacks.[6] The spelling "Kinmen" is a postal romanization.[7] This transcription system is a variation of Nanking Syllabary, a system developed by Herbert Giles in 1892.[8] It was adopted by the Chinese Imperial Post, part of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service led by Irishman Robert Hart. It is based on pronunciation in the Southern Mandarin, or Jianghuai, dialect. This dialect is widely spoken in Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, including the city of Nanjing. The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs uses "Kinmen,"[9] while the United States Board on Geographic Names gives "Kinmen Island."[4]Jinmen is the island's name both in Tongyong Pinyin and in Hanyu Pinyin.[10]Chin-men / Chinmen is the Wade–Giles romanization of the county and island's name.[11]
Quemoy, pronounced /kɪˈmɔɪ/, is a name for the island in English and in other European languages.[12] It may have originated as a Spanish or Portuguese transcription of the Zhangzhou Hokkien pronunciation of the name, Kim-mûi.[13] This is the most common form of the islands' name in English. For example, works that deal with the First and Second Taiwan Strait Crises (the Quemoy Incident[14]) and the 1960 United States presidential election debates when the islands received prominent worldwide news coverage all use the word Quemoy. 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 the word Quemoy to better connect the island to "international society or achieve more recognition in the world".[13]Kimoi is a Hokkien-derived spelling also used in the postal romanization system.[15][16]
Humans have lived on Kinmen for 5,800 to 8,000 years.[17] During the reign of Emperor Yuan (317 CE), the Five Barbarians invasion of China led six extended families to flee south and they settled in Kinmen, then called Wuzhou.[17] More people settled there during the Tang dynasty, changing the name from Wuzhou to Kinmen.[18]
During the Ming dynasty, more migrants settled in Kinmen. Koxinga used Kinmen as a base to capture Formosa and Penghu from the Dutch. He cut down trees to build his navy, resulting in massive deforestation that made Kinmen vulnerable to soil erosion.[18]
Attack in Quemoy (1663)
The Prince of Lu, a member of the Southern Ming dynasty, resisted the invading Manchu Qing dynasty forces. In 1651, he fled to Kinmen, which the Qing dynasty took in 1663.[19] During the Qing Dynasty, the Kinmen area was part of Tungan County.[20][21]
After the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC) in 1912, Kinmen became part of Fujian Province. In 1913, the Kinmen area was made part of Siming County.[21] Kinmen County was established in 1914.[21][22] In 1928, the county came under direct administration of the provincial government.[21]
The Empire of Japan captured Kinmen in 1937 during the Second Sino-Japanese War. They blockaded the island on September 3 and landed on October 23. Fighting was light with ROC forces fleeing rather than fighting. The only casualty was sustained by a local self-defense unit. Many of the residents fled to the mainland or to Southeast Asia. The purpose of the Japanese seizure of Kinmen was to use it as a position from which to attack the neighboring city of Xiamen which they would seize in May 1938. Following the seizure of Xiamen many of the locals who had fled there returned to Kinmen.[23]
After the capture of the island the county government went into exile in Dadeng.[20] The Japanese administered Kinmen as a special municipality of Xiamen, the government was composed of locals, people from other parts of occupied China, and Taiwanese.[23]
A poor harvest in 1938 brought challenges for islanders. The Japanese engaged in economic development of the island including through the use of forced labor. KMT forces engaged in two serious attempts to retake the island and kept up a low level campaign against the Japanese. In 1943 insurgents kidnapped two Taiwanese officials who had been overseeing the salt fields and took them to China before executing them. In retaliation the Japanese authorities rounded up 300 young men from the local community eventually executing four.[23]
Towards the end of WWII conditions worsened with Japanese authorities conscripting 500 locals (with their mules) into the military and confiscating household goods. The island came under allied bombing including one attack on Aug. 30, 1944 which killed 19 locals.[23]
WWII ended in Aug. 15, 1945 with the surrender of Japan. Following the end of the war there were attacks by locals against Taiwanese who took shelter with the Japanese garrison. Kinmen was effectively ungoverned until Oct. 3, 1945 when ROC forces landed and installed a new government. A celebration on Oct. 10 marked the end of hostilities. Locals who had survived the war following their conscription by the Japanese were treated as traitors by the KMT occupation authorities.[23]
After the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) by the Chinese Communists in October 1949, Kinmen County was claimed by both the Nationalists and the Communists. Dadeng, Xiaodeng and Jiaoyu were taken by the Communists on 9 October[22] or 15 October,[24] 1949. While those islands are still claimed by the ROC,[25] they are governed as part of Dadeng Subdistrict, Xiang'an District, Xiamen, Fujian, China.[26][27]
On 25 October 1949, People's Liberation Army (PLA) forces landed on Kinmen Island near Guningtou beginning the Battle of Kuningtou. ROC forces successfully defended the island and prevented an attack on Taiwan.
At the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, retired Admiral Charles M. Cooke Jr., advisor to President Chiang Kai-shek, opposed withdrawing ROC forces from Quemoy (Kinmen).[28] On 26 July 1950, ROC forces on Dadan Island (Tatan), in total 298 soldiers, repulsed an attack (大擔島戰役) from a People's Liberation Army force of 700 soldiers that landed on the island.[29]: 11, 19–20 General Douglas MacArthur and other US officials supported ROC efforts to defend the islands.[30]
Map including most of the territory of Kinmen County (AMS, 1954)
The PLA extensively shelled the island during the First and Second Taiwan Strait crises in 1954–1955 and 1958 respectively. In 1954, the United States considered responding by using nuclear weapons against the PRC.[31] Again in 1958, General Nathan Farragut Twining and the Joint Chiefs of Staff believed that the United States should not permit the loss of the islands to the communists and recommended to President Eisenhower the use of whatever force was necessary, including atomic weapons.[32]
The phrase "Quemoy and Matsu" became part of American political language in the 1960 U.S. presidential election. During the debates, both candidates, Vice-president Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy, pledged to use American forces if necessary to protect Taiwan from invasion by the PRC, which the United States did not recognize as a legitimate government. But in the second debate on 7 October 1960, the two candidates presented different opinions about whether to use American forces to protect Taiwan's forward positions, Quemoy and Matsu, also. Senator Kennedy stated that these islands – as little as 9 kilometres (5.5 mi) off the coast of China and as much as 170 kilometres (106 mi) from Taiwan – were strategically indefensible and were not essential to the defense of Taiwan. Vice-president Nixon maintained that since Quemoy and Matsu were in the "area of freedom," they should not be surrendered to the Communists as a matter of principle.[33]
Earlier in the debate, then-Vice President Nixon mentioned:[34][35]
In the Truman Administration 600 million people went behind the Iron Curtain including the satellite countries of Eastern Europe and Communist China. In this Administration we have stopped them at Quemoy and Matsu, we have stopped them in Indo China, we have stopped them in Lebanon, we have stopped them in other parts of the world.
Senator, Saturday on television, you said that you had always thought that Quemoy and Matsu were unwise places to draw our defense line in the Far East. Would you comment further on that, and also address to this question: couldn't a pull-back from those islands be interpreted as appeasement?
Chin-men Tao (Quemoy Island, Greater Kinmen), Lieh Hsü (Lesser Kinmen), Tung-ting Hsü (Dongding Island), Wu-ch'iu Hsü (Daqiu), and Hsia Hsü (Xiaoqiu) "The Nationalist-held islands off the Chinese mainland are nominally a part of Fukien Province, but are presently under military administration." (1962)
Then-Senator Kennedy responded to Morgan's question saying:[34][35][36][37]
Well, the United States has on occasion attempted, mostly in the middle '50s to persuade Chiang Kai-shek to pull his troops back to Formosa. I believe strongly in the defense of Formosa. These islands are a few miles, five or six miles[b] off the coast of Red China within a general harbor area, and more than a hundred miles[c] from Formosa. We have never said flatly that we will defend Quemoy and Matsu if it is attacked. We say we will defend it if it's part of a general attack on Formosa, but it is extremely difficult to make that judgment.
Now, Mr. Herter, in 1958, when he was Under Secretary of State, said they were strategically indefensible. Admiral Spruance and Collins in 1955 said that we should not attempt to defend these islands in their conference on the Far East. General Ridgway has said the same thing. I believe that when you get into a war, if you're going to get into a war for the defense of Formosa, it ought to be on a clearly defined line. One of the problems, I think, at the time of South Korea was the question of whether the United States would defend it if it were attacked. I believe that we should defend Formosa, we should come to its defense. It leaves this rather in the air that we will defend it under some conditions but not under others, I think it is a mistake.
Secondly, I would not suggest a withdrawal at the point of the Communist guns. It is a decision finally that the Nationalists should make and I believe that we should consult with them and attempt to work out a plan by which the line is drawn at the Island of Formosa. It leaves 100 miles[d] between the sea. But with General Ridgway, Mr. Herter, General Collins, Admiral Spruance and many others, I think it is unwise to take the chance of being dragged into a war which may lead to a world war over two islands which are not strategically defensible, which are not according to their testimony, essential to the defense of Formosa.
I think that we should protect our commitments. I believe strongly we should do so in Berlin. I believe strongly we should do so in Formosa and I believe we should meet our commitments to every country whose security we've guaranteed. But I do not believe that that line, in case of a war, should be drawn on those islands, but instead on the island of Formosa. And as long as they are not essential to the defense of Formosa, it has been my judgement ever since 1954, at the time of the Eisenhower Doctrine for the Far East, that our line should be drawn in the sea around the island itself.
I disagree completely with Senator Kennedy on this point.
I remember in the period immediately before the Korean War, South Korea was supposed to be indefensible as well. Generals testified to that, and Secretary Acheson made a very famous speech at the Press Club early in the year that the Korean War started, indicating in effect that South Korea was beyond the defense zone of the United States. I suppose it was hoped when he made that speech that we wouldn't get into a war, but it didn't mean that. We had to go in when they came in.
Now I think as far as Quemoy and Matsu are concerned, that the question is not these two little pieces of real estate—they are unimportant. It isn't the few people who live on them—they are not too important. It's the principle involved. These two islands are in the area of freedom. The Nationalists have these two islands. We should not force our Nationalist allies to get off of them and give them to the Communists. If we do that, we start a chain reaction, because the Communists aren't after Quemoy and Matsu, they're after Formosa. In my opinion, this is the same kind of woolly thinking that lead to disaster for America in Korea, I'm against it, I would never tolerate it as President of the United States, and I will hope that Senator Kennedy will change his mind if he should be elected.
Kinmen in the map on the obverse of the Commemorative NT$10 Coin in Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Taiwan's Retrocession (1995)
After the third debate on 13 October 1960, Kennedy's advisers spoke with then Secretary of State Herter and said Kennedy was willing to revise his position on the Quemoy and Matsu issue so as not to give the Communists the impression that the USA would not stand united against aggression. Nixon pointed out the change in Kennedy's position but decided not to press the point due to the importance of the USA's role in what was an extremely tense situation.[39] Nixon's polls among Republicans and Democrats showed overwhelming support for Nixon's position on the issue.[40]
Kinmen was originally a military reserve under the Martial Lawcurfews, which eventually led to the tragedies of innocent civilian casualties,[41] such as the 1985 Shi Islet Slaughter and 1987 Lieyu massacre.[42][43][44] 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 re-opened in January 2001 under the mini Three Links, and there has been extensive tourism development on the island in anticipation of mainland tourists.[45] Direct travel was suspended in 2003 as a result of the SARS outbreak, but has since resumed.[46][full citation needed]
Many Taiwanese businessmen use the link through Kinmen to enter the Chinese mainland, seeing it as cheaper and easier than entering through Hong Kong. However, this changed following the 2005 Pan–Blue visits to mainland China and the 2008 presidential and legislative victories of the KMT, that allowed easier cross-Strait relations. Kinmen has experienced a considerable economic boom as businessmen relocate to the island for easier access to the vast markets of the PRC.
Kinmen's climate is classified as humid subtropical climate (KöppenCfa, bordering on Cwa). Among them, the annual average temperature is 21.0 °C (69.8 °F), the hottest month in August is 28.5 °C (83.3 °F), and the coldest month is 12.6 °C (54.7 °F) in January. The annual precipitation is 1,089.4 millimetres (42.89 in), of which August is the wettest with 156.3 millimetres (6.15 in), while November is the driest with only 23.5 millimetres (0.93 in).[62] The extreme temperature throughout the year ranged from 1.3 °C (34.3 °F) on January 25, 2016[63] to 39.1 °C (102.4 °F) on August 31, 2020.[64]
Climate data for Kinmen (Jincheng) (2005–2020, extremes 2004–present)
Artillery shells fired by the People's Liberation Army to Kinmen in the 1950sA shisa (wind-lion god) carving in Kinmen
The people of Kinmen see themselves as Kinmenese, Mínnánrén/Mǐnnánrén (people of Southern Fujian), or Chinese. They identify as citizens of the Republic of China but not so much as Taiwanese.[14][69] Kinmen's 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.[14] In the 1980s, as the militarization decreased and martial law was ended on Taiwan, the Taiwan independence movement and efforts in de-Sinicization grew in strength on Taiwan.[14] To Kinmenese, however, these developments were viewed with concern and there was a feeling that "Taiwan didn't identify with Kinmen".[14] Many worried that Taiwanese de jure independence from China would lead to the severing of ties with Kinmen.[14] These concerns play a strong role in Kinmenese politics as well.[14] Legally speaking, Kinmenese people are not Taiwanese either and have a unique identity from that of the Taiwanese. "Taiwanization" is sometimes perceived as a threat to the cultural identity of the Kinmenese people.[70]
Language
Many of the county's inhabitants speak Hokkien; the Quanzhou accent is predominant. Most residents will say they speak Kinmenese, which is mutually intelligible with Taiwanese Hokkien. The residents of Wuchiu Township speak Pu-Xian Min, as opposed to Hokkien for the rest of Kinmen.
Others
Kinmen is notable for a number of cultural products. Due to the extensive shelling by the People's Liberation Army in the 1950s, 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 [zh], kòng-thn̂g [zh] and beef jerky (bakkwa).
Like the Ryukyus, Kinmen is known for shisa (wind-lion god) figures (風獅爺).[71]
Military
Kinmen is home to the ROC Army’s 101st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion also known as the ROC Army Frogman, whose main headquarter is garrisoned on Liaoluo Bay (料羅灣).[72] As of 2024, United States soldiers are stationed in the islands.[73]
Economy
Kinmen's economy is mainly based on tourism and services due to its proximity to mainland China.[74][75]
Tourism
The Juguang Tower ("Brightness of Ju"), a famous landmark in Kinmen
Because of its military importance, development on the island was extremely limited. Only by 2003, Kinmen opened up itself to tourists from Fujian in Mainland China.[76] It is now a popular weekend tourist destination for Taiwanese and is known for its quiet villages, old-style architecture and beaches. Chinese and Taiwanese tour groups also spend a short time touring the island whilst transiting between the ferry and the airport, as an intermediate stop between China and Taiwan. Large parts of Kinmen form the Kinmen National Park which highlights military fortifications and structures, historical dwellings and natural scenery.
The year 2014 recorded the highest number of passengers traveling by ferry between Kinmen and Fujian ports for as many as 1.5 million people.[77] Since 1 January 2015, Chinese mainland tourists were no longer required to apply for Exit and Entry Permit in advance for visits to Kinmen, Penghu and Matsu Islands. Instead, they can apply for it upon arrival at a cost of NT$600.[78]
By 2016, two infrastructure projects are expected to boost tourism and meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions visitors to the islands. One includes a yet-to-be-named five-star resort spearheaded by Xiamen property developer, Wu Youhua, president of Xiamen Huatian Group, the first time a Chinese interest has been allowed to invest in the Taiwanese hotel sector.[79]
According to local authorities in Kinmen, they had recorded over 745,000 tourists from mainland China in 2018, who had collectively spent over 360 million dollars during that year.[80]
Tourist-related affairs in Kinmen are governed by Transportation and Tourism Bureau of Kinmen County Government. Major tourist attractions in Kinmen are:[21]
Kinmen is famous for the production of Kaoliang liquor, which takes up about 75% of Taiwan's market share, in which it is a strong economic backbone of the county. Traditional industries are also being kept and improved, ranging from agriculture, fishery and livestock. It has a good fishery industry also due to its nature being surrounded by unpolluted sea.
Kinmen also produces its unique Kinmen knife, in which the raw material used to produce it is taken from the remaining of shells fired by the People's Liberation Army in 1958–1978. The knife was made as gift to the visiting Head of Taiwan Affairs OfficeZhang Zhijun to Kinmen on 23–24 May 2015 to symbolize mutual peace between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and to bury the hatchet left from Chinese Civil War.[81][82]
Imported goods
Kinmen often import more goods from Mainland China than Taiwan Island because of lower costs due to the proximity of the county to the mainland. During the campaign for the 2014 county magistrate, all of the magistrate candidates spent their money on campaign materials produced in mainland provinces, such as Guangdong, Zhejiang and Fujian instead of from Taiwan Island.[83]
Chen Fu-hai, the incumbent Magistrate of Kinmen County
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.
The Democratic Progressive Party has a minor presence on the island and typically does not present candidates to stand in local elections, although it does hold a single seat in Kinmen County Council from both of the 2009 and 2014 local elections. However, the party occasionally lends support to liberal or center-left candidates.
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 villages in Kinmen County.
In August 2010, National Quemoy University was established from the predecessor National Kinmen Institute of Technology and Kinmen Division of National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences established in 1997.[95] It is located in Jinning Township. 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 and Industrial Vocational Senior High School. In total, there are 24 junior high schools, elementary schools and kindergartens.[96]
The Kinmen County Government have invested millions in education in Kinmen, with an average of NT$20,000 per student. Schools in the county also accept the growing number of Taiwanese students whose parents are doing business in Fujian, China.[97] The county government has been striving to encourage universities in Taiwan and China to set up branches in the county, as well as to attract Chinese students to study in Kinmen.[98]
The Kinmen Power Company was founded in 1967 and gradually built five power plants in the county and is in charge of providing power resources to all residents in Kinmen. It used to rely on light diesel oil which created high cost burden to its management. Since 1992, the ROC central government approved the power company to authorize Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) for five-year management. All of the power development projects were invested by Taipower and helped the region economic development. In July 1997, Kinmen Power Company was officially incorporated to Taipower. In 1999, the diesel-fired Tashan Power Plant was built to supply electricity to Kinmen grid. The other smaller power plants were subsequently discontinued to reduce cost.[96] The county is also powered by its Jinmen Wind wind farm with a capacity of 4 MW and photovoltaic system with a capacity of 9 MW.[99][100]
Submarine telecommunication cable
In August 2012, Kinmen and Xiamen established the first submarine telecommunication cable between the two sides. On Taiwan side, the infrastructure was constructed by Chunghwa Telecom, while on mainland China's side was done by China Telecom, China Unicom and China Mobile. The project was initially launched in 1996 and took 16 years to build.[101]
The telecommunication system consists of two cables, one is an 11 km (6.8 mi) long cable that runs from Kinmen's Lake Tzu and Xiamen's Mount Guanyin, and the other is a 9.7 km (6.0 mi) long cable that runs from Guningtou on Greater Kinmen Island (ROC) to Dadeng Island (PRC). The system is a non-repeater system with a bilateral transmission capacity of 90 Gbit/s, which might be expanded in the future if demand arises.[101]
Water supply
Water treatment plant in Kinmen
The current daily water demand for Kinmen is 50,000 tonnes, which are used for households, industries and agriculture sectors. One tonne of water produced for Kinmen costs about NT$50–60 and may surge to NT$70 during summer. In extreme drought condition, water shipment from Taiwan Island may cost as much as NT$200 per tonne. Because Kinmen residents pay only NT$10 for each tonne water they use, the cost of water supply has become a heavy burden for the county government.[102]
For decades, Kinmen has been facing difficulties in water supply to its residents due to its shallow lakes, lack of rainfall and geographical constraints which makes building reservoirs and dams unfeasible. Therefore, Kinmen often overuses its groundwater, causing rising tidal flood and soil salinity.
In early September 2013, the People's Republic of China government agreed to supply Kinmen with water from Jinjiang City in Fujian due to the ongoing water shortage problem in Kinmen. Kinmen draws more than 8,000 tonnes of groundwater every day and water from its reservoir is barely enough to support the residents during the dry season. It was judged that a shortage would affect the local economy badly if no mitigation plan was enacted by 2016. The water supply agreement was officially signed on 20 July 2015 in Kinmen between Kinmen County Waterworks Director Weng Wen-kuei (翁文貴) and Fujian Water Supply Co chairman Zhu Jinliang (朱金良) witnessed by Kinmen County MagistrateChen Fu-hai and Fujian Province Governor Su Shulin.[103]
The Jinjiang–Kinmen Pipeline was officially opened on 5 August 2018 when it first started supplying water, and was celebrated by separate ceremonies held in both Kinmen County and Jinjiang City in mainland China.[104]
People coming from China can also travel to Kinmen via ferry from Xiamen's Wutong Ferry Terminal or Quanzhou, arriving at Shuitou Pier in Jincheng Township.[105] The Kinmen-Quanzhou Ferry is only available to local travelers. Foreigner passport holders are not permitted to use this service.
A new commercial port has been built on newly reclaimed land adjacent to the Shuitou Pier. The new port will handle the majority of sea freight to and from Kinmen. Previously, most of this traffic was handled by a smaller port in Jinhu Township, on the southeast corner of the island. In the past, due to constant artillery shelling from China, an underground port at the Zhaishan Tunnel was used to supply the island in times of conflict. It has since been decommissioned and converted into a tourist attraction.
Road
A 5.4 km (3.4 mi) bridge, the Kinmen Bridge, connecting Kinmen Island (Greater Kinmen) and Lieyu was completed in October 2022, estimated to cost NT$7.5 billion (US$250 million).[106][107] It is expected to increase local tourism.[107][108]
In October 2019, China announced a plan to build a bridge linking Xiamen to Kinmen. Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said that the plans were made unilaterally by China as part of its schemes to absorb Taiwan and divide Taiwanese society, and that they see no need for bridges linking either Matsu or Kinmen to China.[109]
^The northern coast of Greater Kinmen (Quemoy) is about five or six miles from the nearest point on mainland Asia in places. In the Matsu Islands, Gaodeng Island is 5.75 miles from the Beijiao Peninsula. Some ROC-controlled areas are closer than five miles from PRC-controlled areas. For instance, Jiaoyu in Dadeng Subdistrict is a little more than one mile from the tip of Greater Kinmen in Jinsha Township.
^Wuqiu, Kinmen is about eighty miles from the closest point on the main island of Taiwan (Formosa). Juguang, Lienchiang and Dongyin, Lienchiang are a little more than ninety miles from the closest point. The main islands Greater Kinmen (Quemoy) and Nangan (Matsu) are over one hundred miles from Taiwan Island.
^The island of Taiwan is separated from the southeast coast of China by the Taiwan Strait, which ranges from 220 km (140 mi) at its widest point to 130 km (81 mi) at its narrowest.
^"金門的地理與歷史概說" [The overview of geography and history of Kinmen] (PDF). 第四章 金門的地理、歷史與總體經濟分析 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). National Taiwan Normal University: 131–134. 20 February 2006. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
^ abcde"Xíngzhèng miànjī" 行政面積. Jīnmén Xiàn zhèngfǔ mínzhèng chǔ 金門縣政府民政處 [Civil Affairs Department, Kinmen County Government] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 29 January 2019. Archived from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019. 外圍 島嶼 面積單位： (平方公里） 大嶝 22.7500 小嶝 3.3100 角嶼 2.4400{...}附記 本縣縣境總面積153.011平方公里。 (不含中共管轄之大小嶝、角嶼)
^Index to Map of China (2nd ed.). Shanghai: Far Eastern Geographical Establishment. 1915. p. 31. Kimoi Island (Kinmen) 金門島 Fukien ... ... 福建 ... 24.23N 118.20E
^ ab"History". Lonely Planet. Archived from the original on 20 April 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
^Wakeman, Frederic (1986). The Great Enterprise : The Manchu Reconstruction of Imperial Order in Seventeenth-Century China. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 114. ISBN0-520-04804-0.
^ ab"Kinmen Awareness". Kinmen County Government. 8 December 2017. Archived from the original on 27 May 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2019. Long belonging to the administration of Tungan Prefecture of Fujian Province, Kinmen had begun its county administration since 1915.{...}In 1937, the County Government was moved to Dadeng for battle and it was later returned to Kinmen after the victory in 1935.{...}The minerals within Kinmen County include china clay and granite.
^ abcdefCíhǎi 辞海 (in Chinese) (6th ed.). Shanghai: Shanghai cishu chubanshe. 2009. p. 1124. ISBN9787532628599. 金门 县名。在福建省东南海上、泉州市西南部。现由台湾省管辖。由以金门岛为主的大、小59个岛屿组成。面积149平方千米，人口约6.45万（2004年）。明置金门千户所，清设金门县丞，属同安县。1913年改隶思明县，1914年析置金门县。1928年直属福建省。农产有甘薯、花生等。矿产有玻璃砂、高岭土、铝土、煤。工业有机械、食品等。特产贡糖、高粱酒、金门马等。通公路。名胜古迹有成功洞、鲁王墓、水尾塔等。{...}金门岛 亦称"大金门岛"、"吾洲屿"。在福建省东南部、厦门港口外台湾海峡中。属金门县，现由台湾省管辖。岛形如哑铃，东西宽，南北狭，中多丘陵，沿海多港湾、口岸。东西长约20千米，面积131.7平方千米。其西有小金门岛。名胜古迹有牧马侯（陈渊）祠、鲁王墓、海印寺、古岗湖、中山纪念林等。
^ abcdef"Jiànzhì yángé" 建治沿革 [Jianzhi History]. Quánzhōu Shì rénmín zhèngfǔ 泉州市人民政府 [Quanzhou City People's Government] (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 10 August 2019. 民国3年7月，金门自思明县析出置县，隶属厦门道。{...}民国22年(1933){...}12月13日，四省分别更名为闽海、延建、兴泉、龙汀。兴泉省辖莆田、仙游、晋江、南安、安溪、惠安、同安、金门、永春、德化、大田、思明十二县 ，治设晋江(今泉州市区)。{...}民国23年7月，全省设立十个行政督察区，永春、德化、惠安属第四行政督察区(专署驻仙游)，晋江、南安、安溪、金门属第五行政督察区(专署驻同安)。民国24年(1935)10月，全省改为7个行政督察区、l市。惠安、晋江、南安、金门、安溪、永春、德化属第四区(专署驻同安)。民国26年4月，南安县治徙溪美。10月，日本侵略军攻陷金门岛及烈屿，金门县政府迁到大嶝乡。{...}民国27年(1938){...}8月，金门县政务由南安县兼摄。{...}民国32年(1943)9月，全省调整为8个行政督察区、2个市。第四区专署仍驻永春，下辖永春、安溪、金门、南安、晋江、惠安等九县。德化改属第六区(专署驻龙岩)。 {...}1949年8月24日，福建省人民政府(省会福州)成立。8、9月间，南安、永春、惠安、晋江、安溪相继解放。9月， 全省划为八个行政督察区。9月9日，第五行政督察专员公署成立，辖晋江、南安、同安、惠安、安溪、永春、仙游、莆田、金门(待统一)等九县。公署设晋江县城(今泉州市区)。10月9日，金门县大嶝岛、小嶝岛及角屿解放。11月24日，德化解放，归入第七行政督察区(专署驻永安县)。 1950年{...}10月17日，政务院批准德化县划归晋江区专员公署管辖；1951年1月正式接管。至此， 晋江区辖有晋江、南安、同安、安溪、永春、德化、莆田、仙游、惠安、金门(待统一)十县。{...}1955年3月12日，奉省人民委员会令，晋江区专员公署改称晋江专员公署，4月1日正式实行。同年5月，省人民政府宣布成立金门县政府。{...}1970年{...}6月18日，福建省革命委员会决定实行。于是,全区辖有泉州市及晋江、惠安、南安、同安、安溪、永春、德化、金门(待统一)八县。同年12月25日，划金门县大嶝公社归同安县管辖。{...}1992年3月6日，国务院批准，晋江撤县设市，领原晋江县行政区域，由泉州代管。1992年5月1日。晋江市人民政府成立，至此，泉州市计辖l区、2市、6县：鲤城区、石狮市、晋江市、惠安县、南安县、安溪县、永春县、德化县、金门县，(待统一)。
^ abcdefgTáiwān lìshǐ dìtú 臺灣歷史地圖 [Taiwan Historical Maps] (in Chinese (Taiwan)) (Expanded and Revised ed.). Taipei: Taiwan lishi bowuguan. 2018. pp. 154, 158. ISBN978-986-05-5274-4. 古寧頭戰役地圖1949年10月 大嶝島（原屬金門縣） 1共軍佔領大嶝、小嶝、角嶼10.15 小嶝島（原屬金門縣）角嶼{...}大嶝島 小嶝島 角嶼
^ abcd"05-19 Táiwān dǎoyǔ miànjī" 05-19 臺灣島嶼面積 [Location and Area of Islands in Taiwan] (ODS) (in Chinese (Taiwan) and English). Retrieved 20 October 2019 – via Ministry of the Interior. 05-19 金門縣島嶼及面積 Area of Islands in Kinmen County 區域別 Locality 面積(平方公里) Area (km2){...}外圍島嶼 Offshore Islet{...}大嶝 Dadeng 22.7500 小嶝 Xiaodeng 3.3100 角嶝 Jiaodeng 2.4400{...}資料來源：金門縣政府。 Source： Kinmen County Government. 附 註： 1.大嶝、小嶝、角嶝目前由中國大陸管轄，烏坵鄉由金門縣政府代管。 2.總面積151.656平方公里(不含大小嶝角嶝，含烏坵1.2平方公里)，部分無人島未列入。 Remark： 1.Dadeng, Xiaodeng, Jiaodeng are governed by Mainland China, Wuqiu belongs to other county but mandated by Kinmen County Government. 2.Total Area of Kinmen is 151.656 km2(Exclude Dadeng, Xiaodeng, Jiaodeng, Include Wuqiu 1.2 km2), some unmanned islands and reefs are not listed.
^ abcd"Dàdèng jiēdào" 大嶝街道. Xiàmén Shì Xiángān Qū rénmín zhèngfǔ 厦门市翔安区人民政府 [People's Government of Xiang'an Xiamen] (in Simplified Chinese). 12 July 2019. Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019. 大嶝街道位于厦门市翔安区东南部，隔海北与南安市石井镇毗邻，南与金门岛相对，西南与厦门岛相望，由大嶝、小嶝、角屿三个岛屿组成，总人口约2.6万人，土地面积13.2平方公里，海岸线25.15公里，{...}一方面加快大嶝战地旅游设施建设，另一方面开辟了"游三岛、登白哈、看金门"的旅游航线，组建了一支豪华舒适的旅游船队。
^ abcd"Mèilì Xiángān" 魅力翔安. Xiàmén Shì Xiángān Qū rénmín zhèngfǔ 厦门市翔安区人民政府 [People's Government of Xiang'an Xiamen] (in Simplified Chinese). Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019. 翔安区设立于2003年10月19日。陆地总面积420平方公里，海域面积134平方公里，下辖一街（大嶝街道）、四镇（新店、马巷、内厝和新圩），{...}大嶝岛 小嶝岛 角屿 白蛤礁
^Lin, Hsiao-ting (6 April 2012). "Taiwan's Secret Ally". Hoover Institution. Archived from the original on 6 September 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019. In early July, Chiang was seriously considering withdrawing from Quemoy and other tiny coastal possessions off Southeast China to bolster Taiwan's defense and free up 33,000 combat troops for the Korean theater. Even though Cooke fully supported the Nationalist government's probable participation in the Korean War, he vehemently opposed the evacuation from Quemoy. Cooke was convinced that it would not only look weak to the Chinese Communists but damage morale in Taiwan and the entire free world.
^Lin, Ma-teng 林馬騰 (2009). Mì dǎo: Dà èr dǎn de mìjìng mìshǐ 秘島：大二膽的秘境秘史 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Lín Mǎténg wénshǐ gōngzuò shì. ISBN978-957-41-6438-7.
^Lu, Fang-shang 呂芳上, ed. (2011). Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng rìjì yǔ mínguó shǐ yánjiū 蔣中正日記與民國史研究 [Chiang Kai-Shek's Diaries and the Study of Republican Chinese History] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Vol. 2nd. Taipei: Shijie datong chuban youxian gongsi. p. 643. 其實國府堅守金馬最初是受到美國鼓勵的{...}國府{...}考慮放棄金門，但因東盟總麥克阿瑟將軍（Douglas MacArthur）不贊成{...}韓戰過後到第一次臺海危機（1954年9月至1955年4月）爆發之前，美方也不願中共拿下外島，鼓勵國府增派受美援訓練的部隊駐守外島。
^Nixon, Richard (1978). RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon. Simon & Schuster. p. 272. ISBN0-446-93259-0 – via Internet Archive. Once again I hit hard on the Quemoy-Matsu issue, stating that Kennedy's willingness to surrender the islands to the Communists under threat of war was no different from submitting to blackmail. Shortly after the third debate I learned that one of Kennedy's top foreign policy advisers had telephoned Secretary of State Herter to say that Kennedy did not want to give the Communists the impression that America would not stand united against aggression and was therefore prepared to revise his position in order not to appear to oppose the administration on this issue. I saw this as Kennedy's way of trying to slide away from an unpopular position, and my immediate inclination was not to let him get away with it. But the Quemoy-Matsu situation was so tense, and the importance of America's role in discouraging Communist aggression was so great, that I decided not to press the point if Kennedy modified his stand. I pointed out how his changed attitude reflected his lack of experience, and then let the issue drop.
^Gao, Yong-cheng (13 July 2022). "111司調0025 調查報告" [2022 Justice Investigation Report No. 0025] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Taipei: Control Yuan. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
^Shi, Wen-jie (29 October 2013). "時論－一封永遠無法寄達的家書" [Commentary - A home letter never been delivered] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Taipei: China Times. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
^《國軍屠殺越南難民的三七事件》你不知道的台灣. pchome.com.tw. 7 March 2008. Archived from the original on 8 September 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
^"Jīnmén Xiàn xíngzhèng qūyù tú" 金門縣行政區域圖(jpg) (Map) (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Archived from the original on 8 August 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019. 北碇島 母嶼 白巖 草嶼 東割 烽遂角 后嶼 官澳礁 西園嶼 建功嶼 黑巖 大巖嶼 烏礁 桂子礁 獅嶼 牛心礁 小擔 檳榔嶼 烈嶼 復興嶼 猛虎嶼 兔嶼 石山 大膽島 二擔島 三擔島 四擔島 五擔 大坵島 小坵島
^"Jīnmén dìqū xiànzhì (jìnzhǐ) shuǐyù tú" 金門地區限制（禁止）水域圖(PDF) (Map) (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Mainland Affairs Council. Archived(PDF) from the original on 3 August 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019. 二．限制水域範圍：大金門地區低潮線向外延伸東方海面四千至六千公尺，南方海面八千至一萬公尺，北碇以東海面四千公 尺，大、二膽南海面二千公尺一線以內海域 三、禁止水域範圍：大金門地區低潮線向外延伸東方海面四千公尺，南方海面八千公尺，馬山北方一千五百公尺，北碇以東 海面四千公尺，大、二膽北、西、南海面二千公尺，小金門西海面、檳榔嶼、三腳礁、牛心礁、赤角礁一線以內海域
^ abKim, Vivien, ed. (2003). Taiwan. Insight Guides. APA Publications. p. 222. ISBN9789812349668 – via Internet Archive. Kinmen is actually an archipelago of 15 islands. Three of them, however, are controlled by China, and only two of the Taiwan-controlled islands – Kinmen main island and Hsiao Kinmen (Little Kinmen) – are open to tourism.
^"Geographic Environment". Kinmen National Park. Archived from the original on 28 October 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2019. The 12 islands and islets comprising Kinmen mainland, Lieyu (small Kinmen), Da Dan, Er Dan, Dong Ding, Beiding, Cao islet, Hou islet, Jiangong islet, Fuxing islet, Menghu islet, Shi islet occupy an area of 150 square meters in total.
^"Implications of US-ChiCom Geneva Deadlock". CIA. 29 November 1955. p. 6. Retrieved 9 August 2019. 2. {redacted}ChiComs are building a causeway to link Tateng Island, the Communist territory nearest Quemoy, to mainland. 3.{redacted}several thousand troops (recently arrived in Amoy from Shanghai) will be garrisoned on Tateng after the causeway is completed (in next two months).
^"Central Intelligence Bulletin". CIA. 1 December 1955. p. 6. Retrieved 9 August 2019. After a lull of several weeks in artillery duels in the Quemoy area, Chinese Nationalist 155mm howitzers on 28 November fired 240 rounds at a causeway which the Chinese Communists are constructing between the mainland and Tateng Island, four to five miles north of Quemoy. Communist artillery responded with 680 rounds. No major damage was reported. {redacted} 2. The Chinese Communists began constructing the 6,300-foot causeway to Tateng apparently in early November. Such a link with the mainland would facilitate supply of Communist military positions on Tateng. Communist artillery now on the island is believed to include only 76mm guns, but 122mm or larger weapons could take any point on Quemoy under fire.(redacted)
^ ab"Chinese Communist Order of Battle, East China Coast". CIA. 14 August 1950. Retrieved 11 August 2019. 2. The 11 Artillery Regiment is at Ningpo. The 12 and 13 Artillery Regiments moved to South Fukien, and are in Tateng (118-20, 24–35) and Hsiaoteng (11825, 2435) Islands and Amoy respectively.
^ abcJinmen xian zhengfu zhuji chu 金門縣政府主計處 (December 2017). Jīnmén Xiàn tǒngjì yuèbào 金門縣統計月報 [Kinmen County Monthly Statistics Report] (Report) (in Chinese (Taiwan)). pp. 5, 6, 8. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019. 極 北 大嶝田墘 東 經 118 19 6 北 緯 24 34 16{...}區 域 別 面 積 ( 平方公里 ) 佔 總 面 積 百 分 比(%){...} 外 圍 島 嶼 大 嶝 22.7500 16.92 小 嶝 3.3100 1.82 角 嶼 2.4400 1.34{...}說 眀：1.本縣縣境總面積153.0110平方公里(不含中共管轄之大小嶝、角嶼)。{...}說 眀：外圍島嶼土地面積不含中共管轄之大嶝、小嶝及角嶼。
^Wang, Wenjie (12 August 2009). "Letting Go of the Past". Beijing Review. Archived from the original on 14 March 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2019. Located in the southeast waters of Xiamen's Xiang'an District, the Dadeng Isles are comprisedof three islands—Dadeng, Xiaodeng and Jiaoyu. Known as the Three-Hero Islands, they cover an area of 13.2 square kilometers, with a population of approximately 20,000 people.
^"氣象站各月份最高氣溫統計"(PDF) (in Chinese). Central Weather Bureau. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
^"氣象站各月份最低氣溫統計(續)"(PDF) (in Chinese). Central Weather Bureau. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
^Liou, Tai-sheng; Lu, Hsueh-yu; Lin, Cheng-kuo; Lin, Wayne; Chang, Yu-te; Chien, Jeng-ming; Chen, Wen-fu (2009). "Geochemical Investigation of Groundwater in a Granitic Island: A Case Study from Kinmen Island, Taiwan". Environmental Geology. 58 (7): 1575. Bibcode:2009EnGeo..58.1575L. doi:10.1007/s00254-008-1664-7. S2CID128799871.
^"Current Situations". Kinmen County Industrial Department and Investment Promotion Committee. Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
^"Lìshǐ yángé" 歷史沿革. 金門縣金沙鎮公所 [Jinsha Township Administration, Kinmen County] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 28 May 2019. Archived from the original on 2 April 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2019. 清末民初在原金山港河海交接處發現金沙，因而將港易名為金沙港，在此入海的溪流易名之為金沙溪，行政區以金沙為名。
^"Lìshǐ yángé" 歷史沿革 [Historical Development]. Jīnmén Xiàn Lièyǔ Xiāng gōngsuǒ 金門縣烈嶼鄉公所 [Lieyu Township Village Administration, Kinmen County] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 28 July 2017. Archived from the original on 25 August 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019. 金門民間傳說烈嶼和大金門本是相連，沒有過海，和大金門的水頭有數公尺之土地相連帶。後有一仙人眼見船隻軍要轉來轉去才能轉進港，非常麻煩，就說：「這條港路上的半島，該讓她(離嶼)去，讓出這條港路，好交通船」。金口一開，烈嶼那塊島慢慢裂開，一直開離大金門所以叫「烈嶼」久而久之，就叫成了「烈嶼」。（金門民間傳說）
^Xia, Zhengnong 夏征农; Chen, Zhili 陈至立, eds. (2009). Cíhǎi 辞海 (in Chinese) (6th, in Color ed.). Shanghai: Shanghai cishu chubanshe. p. 1863. ISBN9787532628599. 泉州{...}辖丰泽、鲤城、洛江、泉港四区和惠安、安溪、永春、德化、金门五县，代管晋江、石狮、南安三市。
^"Quánzhōu Shì lìshǐ yángé" 泉州市历史沿革 [Quanzhou City Historical Development]. Xzqh.org (in Simplified Chinese). 14 July 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2019. 1949年8月至11月除金门县外各县相继解放，{...}自1949年9月起除续领原辖晋江、惠安、南安、安溪、永泰、德化、莆田、仙游、金门、同安10县外，1951年从晋江县析出城区和近郊建县级泉州市。{...}2003年末，全市总户数1715866户，总人口6626204人，其中非农业人口1696232人（均不包括金门县在内）；
^"Hǎidǎo zīyuán" 海岛资源. Pútián Shì Xiùyǔ Qū rénmín zhèngfǔ 莆田市秀屿区人民政府 (in Simplified Chinese). 7 September 2017. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019. （二）海岛分布 境内海岛主要分布在三大海湾内。兴化湾南部（包括埭头半岛）有海岛32个，其中居民岛3个。南日群岛（包括十八列岛）有海岛65个，其中居民岛5个；平海湾有海岛9个，全为无居民岛；湄洲湾有海岛14个，其中居民岛1个；湄洲湾周边（包括湄洲岛、虎狮列岛）有海岛13个，其中居民岛1个；鸬鹚周边（包括鸬鹚岛）有海岛4个，全为无居民岛；乌丘屿周边（包括乌丘屿）有海岛4个，其中居民岛1个。
^"05-19 Táiwān dǎoyǔ miànjī" 05-19 臺灣島嶼面積 [05-19 Area of Islands in Taiwan] (ODS). Ministry of the Interior (in Chinese (Taiwan) and English). Retrieved 20 October 2019. 外圍島嶼 小計 Subtotal 29.8550 Offshore 大嶝 Dadeng 22.7500 Islet 小嶝 Xiaodeng 3.3100 角嶝 Jiaodeng 2.4400 附 註： 1.大嶝、小嶝、角嶝目前由中國大陸管轄，烏坵鄉由金門縣政府代管
^"Development Strategies". Kinmen County Industrial Department and Investment Promotion Committee. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
1 The provinces are merely retained as nominal entities within the constitutional structure, as they have no governing power following the formal dissolution of the provincial administrative organs in 2018. Cities and counties are de facto regarded as the principal constituent divisions of the ROC.
Sarah Shair-Rosenfield (November 2020). "Taiwan Combined"(PDF). The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
1 Lienchiang County commonly known as Matsu. 2Diaoyutai Islands are controlled by Japan, (called Senkaku Islands). 3Seat of the outlying islands' counties
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