Kinmen National Park 金門國家公園

In 1995, three years after the ending of the military administration of the island, Kinmen National Park was opened. It was Taiwan’s sixth national park and the first to have the primary aim of protecting historical and cultural heritage, and serve as a war memorial. Kinmen Island today is still a military stronghold on the front line between Taiwan and Mainland China.

It is located approximately 225 kilometers from Taiwan and just two kilometers from Mainland China, and covers an area of 13,425 hectares. The park is spread out over 3,780 hectares, or about one quarter of the area of Kinmen and Little Kinmen islands.

Chinmencheng means Kinmen City and refers to a strategic impregnable city that is the gateway to the sea. Taken literally Kinmen (金門) means golden gate.

There are traces of human habitation dating back 5000 to 6000 years. Historical records show that people began coming to Kinmen from China’s central plains over 1,600 years ago. Most of the early inhabitants came from certain areas of Fujian Province. The architectural style of the dwellings follows these old traditions. Due to 40 years of military control the pace of development was slowed and as a result numerous well preserved examples of traditional architecture have survived. Eleven have been registered, within the park, as historical monuments but the park and the islands are littered with entire living villages that have retained their southern Fujian architecture. This is in stark contrast to the main island of Taiwan.

In addition to the examples of Fujian architecture there are many so-called ‘Western-style’ houses, which are a combination of Western and Chinese architecture. They date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and were built by local merchants who traded overseas.

Other Important structures include the ancestral shrines. Their importance denoted by their geographical position in heart of the settlement. Another prominent symbol of the island’s folk culture is the Wind Lion God or Spirit Lion. Numerous statues of this god dot the island usually in front of a village or set into walls. Their purpose can vary but are generally to protect against storms. Due to the massive deforestation that has taken place over the past 300 years they are more important than ever.

Kinmen National Park includes various battlefield monuments that hold an extremely important place in the history of modern day Taiwan. On October 25, 1949, the year when mainland China fell to the Communists, Communist forces unsuccessfully attempted to occupy Kinmen for the purpose of capturing Taiwan. Again in 1958 Mainland China began a massive bombardment campaign that lasted 44 days. It was also unsuccessful. Over the next 20 years the Mainland continued to occasionally fire on the island. All bombardment stopped in 1979.

The islands are built on a base of granite. This geological attribute contributed to the defense of the islands. Many of the tunnels and bunkers were carved into the granite base of the island creating robust defenses.

Kinmen National Park contains more than 548 species of plants. Some of the species are not found in Taiwan.

Due to the parks proximity to mainland China in attracts a huge variety of migratory birds. More than 280 species have been recorded in high density. Kinmen’s birdlife is markedly different to that of Taiwan.

References
Kinmen National Park Headquarters, Construction and Planning Administration Ministry of the Interior R.O.C. (2001), Kinmen National Park, Shun Cheng Printing Co, Taichung.