Five Decades of Photos of Taiwan’s Offshore Islands

Many of Kinmen’s military sites, such as Qingtian Hall, were constructed several decades ago by ROC soldiers. (photo by Kent Chuang)

—“Kinmen’s Changing Architecture” (April 2018)

Kinmen was bombarded by the PRC during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1958. Chin Ho Li Steel Knife Factory recycles shell casing fragments scattered across the Kinmen Islands to forge kitchen knives. The myriad sparks flying from the anvil draw the attention of tourists and customers. (photo by Kent Chuang)

—“Forged in Fire: Artillery Shell Knives”  (January 2018)

As dawn breaks over Lanyu (Orchid Island), Si Tagahan, a Tao man who has come back to live on his ancestral island, is already out fishing. (photo by Jimmy Lin)

—“952 Vazay Tamo: The Voice of Orchid Island” (October 2015)

The Indigenous Tao people navigate the reef-strewn waters around Lanyu (Orchid Island) in fishing boats named ipanitika. Carrying traditional wisdom, these boats are an iconic component of the Tao’s distinctive maritime culture. (photo by Kent Chuang)

—“Land of the Human Beings: Orchid Island” (August 2018)

Matsu boasts more than 200 military tunnels, some of which have been transformed into tourist attractions. Here visitors can take a boat tour and admire the feats of engineering. (photo by Chin Hung-hao)

—“Modernizing Matsu: From Fortress to Casino Resort” (June 2013)

On Matsu’s Beigan Island, the Horse Feed Cultural Festival is held on the 13th day of the first lunar month. Deities are carried on palanquins to Banli Village, ready for their procession around the area. (photo by Jimmy Lin)

—“A Stroll Around Beigan” (June 2018)

The Iron Fort, also known as Strongpoint 51, is a former military facility situated on a rocky outcrop on the coast of Ren’ai Village on Matsu’s Nangan Island. (photo by Jimmy Lin)

—“Sustainable Village Number One—Matsu’s Tiehpan Village” (October 2008)

A glass-bottomed boat glides across the crystal-clear sea around Xiaoliuqiu, which abounds with coral reefs. Together with the snorkelers faintly visible in this photo, the tourists on board get to explore the area’s rich marine life. (photo by Jimmy Lin)

—“Dances with Sea Turtles—Sustainable Tourism on Xiaoliuqiu” (June 2023)

Along the coral coast of Xiaoliuqiu (also known as Liuqiu Island, Little Liuqiu, Lambai, or Lamay), tourists explore the intertidal zone and play in the water, enjoying the leisurely charm of island life while boats pass by.  (photo by Jimmy Lin)

—“Taiwan’s Ocean Park” (October 2001)

This photo shows a familiar scene at a harbor in Penghu, where women wearing traditional conical hats carefully tend to their enormous fishing nets. (photo by Yang Yung-shan)

—“The Pescadores” (January 1983)

In Nanliao Village in Penghu’s Huxi Township, a woman gathers seaweed on the rocky shore at low tide. (photo by Kent Chuang)

—“Penghu, Basalt Island Paradise” (August 2017)

“Little Taiwan,” a renowned wave-carved platform on Penghu’s Qimei Island, bears a striking resemblance to the shape of Taiwan. (photo by Jimmy Lin)

—“Riding Through Qimei” (January 2019)