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'Kinmen' (; POJ: Kim-mn̂g; also romanized 'Quemoy' from Southern Min (in early Spanish romanization); literally "Golden Door" or "Golden Gate"), located at , is a small archipelago of several islands administered by the Republic of China (ROC) government: Greater Quemoy (大金門), Lesser Quemoy (小金門), and some islets. Administratively, it is 'Kinmen County' of Fujian (Fuchien) Province, Republic of China. 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.
Many of the inhabitants speak the Southern Min language (Min Nan). Due to their previous political isolation, most residents will say they speak "Kinmenese", as opposed to "Taiwanese" as it is commonly called in Taiwan, though the differences are arbitrary and the two dialects are mutually intelligible. Quemoy is geographically very near Xiamen (also known as Amoy).

Contents

History

Politics

Townships

See also

External links

History

As part of Fujian, Kinmen was not colonized by Japan, as the island of Taiwan and the Pescadores were.
During the Chinese Civil War a tunnel was dug from Taiwan in order to preseve it from the PRC. 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.

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. However, it is still recognized as a national park. 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, old-style architecture, and beaches. Due to extensive shelling campaigns between the PRC and ROC, Kinmen is famous for its Artillery Shell Knives. The residents would collect the vast amounts of exploded ordnance and make knives which were once highly sought after (if only for their quaintness) by Taiwanese tourists. Kinmen is also home of the locally famous KinMen GaoLiang liquor, a tequila-like liquor which is highly appreciated by the Taiwanese.
Direct travel between mainland China and Kinmen 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. Many Taiwanese businesspeople use this link to enter the Mainland as it is seen as cheaper and easier than entering through Hong Kong. The island has thus experienced a sort of real estate boom as businesspeople relocate to the island for easy access to the vast markets of China.

Politics

The island consistently votes for the pan-blue coalition. Until the early 1990s, proponents of Taiwan independence argued that they would consider handing Quemoy over to the PRC in any negotiated settlement. Residents of Quemoy have broadly opposed such measures, fearing the consequences of the PRC government's policies on their standard of living.

Townships

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	Lièyǔ	Lie-yü	Lièyǔ	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 comprises 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 – all in ''Jhen'' (鎮, ''Zhen'') – are ''Li''-villages (里); the rest are ''Cun''-villages (村).
See also: Political divisions of the Republic of China

See also

★ Matsu Islands

★ Political divisions of the Republic of China

★ Township (Taiwan)

★ List of cities in the Republic of China (Taiwan)

★ Republic of China

External links

★ 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