Easy Riding on Kinmen

Not 15 minutes after registration began at eight o'clock one morning, all 40 places on the bicycle tour "Into the Heart of Kinmen" were filled. Seven hundred other people who phoned to register over the next couple of days could only add their names to the waiting list.

The Giant Sports Foundation workers handling registrations carefully explained: "It's not an ordinary sightseeing tour. You'll be staying four to a room in a China Youth Corps hostel, and doing everything as a group. It's going to be strenuous...." But this did not deter applicants in the slightest.

The 40 people who took part came from all over Taiwan, and included nine children from five different families. The youngest participant was eight-year-old Chen Yi-ting. Apart from these five family groups, the rest were all young or early-middle-aged people, and men outnumbered women by about two to one.

"We never imagined we'd get such a terrific response," says Hu Jung-hua, but his delight was tempered with a sense of caution, for Kinmen is still looked upon as something of a war zone, and it would be disastrous if anything were to go wrong. He and a few Giant Sports Foundation workers went to Kinmen in advance to work out the route and get a clear idea of the scenic spots, the state of the roads, the gradients and so on.

Food, accommodation and transport were by no means the biggest problem. Some time before, Huang Sheng-en, general secretary of the Kinmen County section of China Youth Corps, had also thought of organizing a bicycle tour, but had not known how to go about it. When Hu Jung-hua announced his idea to Huang Sheng-en, Huang immediately offered assistance with arranging food and lodging, local transport and backup. The Youth Corps also treated the exercise as a learning experience to help them organize cycling activities in the future.

Where were the bikes to come from? Hu Jung-hua is also executive officer of Giant Sports Foundation, and he enlisted the generous support of Giant Manufacturing Company, which provided brand new machines. Fifty-five men's, women's and children's bicycles--enough for everyone, including the accompanying Sports Foundation workers--were shipped to Kinmen where they were assembled by the local Giant dealer. Before the tour began, Foundation workers checked that all the bicycles' tires were well pumped up, their brakes properly adjusted, their handlebars secure and their saddles at the right height, and they accompanied the tour in a small van carrying repair tools and two spare bikes. The children's cycles and those of the three tour leaders were equipped with long red warning flags.

To make sure everyone kept a safe distance and to avoid collisions when going down hills, the group set off in four separate sections, each accompanied by a Sports Foundation worker.

The tour began with Kinmen County chief Chen Shui-tsai, Hu Jung-hua and Youth Corps secretary Huang Sheng-en riding at the head of the group as it set out from in front of the Kinmen County Administration building in a heavy drizzle. Because the route started with easy sections before building up to more strenuous ones, the riders were able to get used to the effort, and no-one dropped out, not even any of the children.

The first day's ride was quite easy, covering only 15 kilometers. The group toured the north-west corner of Kinmen, passing places such as Tsuti Dam, Tsuhu Reservoir, Shuiwei Tower, Peishan command post and the temple dedicated to Colonel Li Kuang-chien.

To make the trip more interesting and educational, Hu Jung-hua had invited Mr. Hsu Wei-min to act as guide. Mr. Hsu, a teacher at Chincheng High School, is an expert on Kinmen's folk customs and historical relics. On the first day the group stopped at Shuiwei Tower and at Peishan. Everyone dismounted to rest and take a look around while listening to Mr. Hsu's explanation of their history.

Cycling in the rain with the wind slanting the raindrops into one's face has a certain romance. But it also makes it rather hard to see where one is going, and as everyone was still getting used to their new bikes, their minds were more on watching the road in front of them than on enjoying the scenery.

Arriving back at the Activity Center, the group found warming bowls of hot ginger soup waiting for them.

First on the agenda next day was a trip to Little Kinmen. Although it was still raining, everyone was in high spirits. The appearance of this crowd of cyclists on Shuitou quay attracted curious glances from passers-by and from the soldiers on duty there. Everyone wheeled their cycles onto the ferry, and the crossing, with the riders standing packed into the front of the cabin and the bicycles stowed in the rear and on deck, was an unforgettable experience.

One girl in the group, whose boyfriend was serving with the army on Little Kinmen, got special time off to visit him.

Not every tour group has the chance to visit Little Kinmen, let alone to take a cycle ride around it. The island is even closer to mainland territory than Kinmen proper, and members of the group who had served with the forces here pointed to a little islet out to sea and started telling stories. In past years, teams of frogman commandos from both sides would often attack each other's positions at night, and sometimes the white sun, blue sky and red earth of the ROC flag which had flown on the islet one day would be replaced the next day by a flag of a different color. But our side didn't take this lying down, and the day after that the flag would have been changed back again. Later, both sides tired of this game and stopped flying flags on the islet altogether.

The ride round Little Kinmen passed the Martyr's Temple, Tsuhui Pavilion and Patao observation tower, before returning to Chiuguan quay to take the same boat back again to Kinmen. On the return crossing, the rain had eased off, and many of the group went out on deck to enjoy the sea breeze, look at the waves and of course to watch the soldiers guarding the shore.

Back on Kinmen, the riders stopped to visit the old Wentai Pagoda, and then took in Chukuang Hall and Chiehhsiao Arch before returning to the Activity Center.

The longest ride was on the third day, with a circuit round more or less the whole island, around 60 kilometers. First everyone rode to the August 23rd Bombardment Memorial Hall for a guided visit. By the time they reached the Folk Culture Village for lunch, the sun was shining brightly. After eating their boxed lunches, they listened as Hsu Wei-min recounted some of the history of the old houses there, and took the opportunity to get some souvenir snapshots.

In the afternoon, the road led to Mashan Hill at the northernmost tip of the island. This spot is only 1800 meters from the mainland, and was formerly well known for its gigantic public address system, used for psychological warfare, and its observation post. With a powerful telescape one can watch the people of Xiamen (Amoy) on the mainland riding their bicycles or hauling their fishing boats up onto the shore.

After this, Hu Jung-hua decided to leave everyone the rest of the day free to ride where they wished, asking only that they should all be back in time for the evening meal. On hearing this some people pedaled off hell for leather, but most stayed more or less together as a group and rode back to the Youth Corps hostel. On the way back, several "wind lions" could be seen along the roadside.

Along that day's route there were many guard posts, and once the sentries spotted the group of cyclists they hurried to report the riders' presence, so that all along the route many soldiers came out to give shouts of encouragement. At one guard post a soldier even ran out to ask Hu Jung-hua for his autograph.

On the last day, the group rode along Kinmen's central highway to visit the military graveyard and to climb Mt. Taiwu. On the road back there is a long climb. Those with enough strength left in their legs pedaled valiantly to the top, while those who couldn't make it dismounted and wheeled their bikes up the hill. Going down the other side, everyone rode like the wind.

Over the four days, the group had ridden around 140 kilometers in all. Everyone agreed that Kinmen is a wonderful place for cycling: its roads are broad and straight, and lined with lofty trees which make them all into "green tunnels." There are few motor vehicles, and the air is fresh and the environment clean. It really is a cyclist's paradise, and all the riders were eager to come again if they have the chance.

The Giant Sports Foundation plans to stage another three cycling events on Kinmen in late March and early April. All the places have long been taken. If visitors travelling to Kinmen independently would like to get a taste of cycling on the island, they can contact Giant Sports Foundation or Kinmen China Youth Corps Activity Center to enquire about hiring bikes.

Hu Jung-hua, who is a vigorous promoter of bicycle touring, feels this is a very good start. Taiwan has quite a few other areas suitable for cycling, such as the East Coast, the area around Sun Moon Lake, or Kenting National Park. Why not get together with a friend or two, have your bikes shipped to where you want to start, and enjoy a pedal-pushing holiday!

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A long line of cyclists wheeling their bicycles onto the ferry is a novel sight at Shuitou quay.

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(left) Fresh air, few cars and straight roads all make Kinmen the perfect place for a bicycle tour.

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To make the visit worthwhile, as well as cycling one should take notice of local life and customs.

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Red flags on the backs of the children's bikes warn drivers to take extra care.

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Kinmen and Surrounding Area

Kinmen's Main Tourist Attractions

Peishan command post: During the Kuningtou battle, this house served as a communist command post. Its walls are still scarred with bullet holes.

Tsuhu: Kinmen has many freshwater lakes which provide its drinking water and are fine places to see waterfowl.

Shuiwei Tower: This little stone tower's purpose is to suppress evil and pacify the waters of Tsuhu Reservoir. It is the only such tower on Kinmen.

Chiehhsiao Arch: Kinmen's only Grade 1 historical monument. The arch, which stands within the town of Chincheng, commemorates the chastity and devotion of Chiu Liang-kung's mother.

Wentai Pagoda: Erected as a navigation marker, this pagoda is over 600 years old.

Shangyi Airport: Kinmen's only airport. New air traffic control equipment was installed last year and the terminal is being improved.

Granite Hospital: This hospital is built inside a granite cliff to protect it from bombing.

Wu Wang Tsai Chu: Standing in front of the inscribed stone, one can get a panoramic view of the whole of Kinmen, and also see the mainland in the distance.

Haiyin Temple: This temple, nestled between the two peaks of Mt. Taiwu, is 800 years old.

Mashan Hill: The closest point to mainland territory on Kinmen proper. Through the telescope at the observation post, one can watch the movements of the people of Xiamen.

Hsiyuan Salt Works: The salt eaten on Kinmen all comes from here. Outside the gate stands a wind lion holding a commander's seal.

The old trees of Toumen: The trees here, mostly banyan and Chinese pistache, were all planted over a century ago in the reign of the Ching emperor Kuanghsu (ruled 1874-1908).

Liaoluo Bay: During the August 23rd Bombardment, the communists sent torpedo boats and gunboats to seal off Liaoluo Bay in order to prevent supplies reaching our forces.

Travel information

Package tours: When Kinmen was first opened to tourists, 3-day/2-night packages were priced around NT$14-15,000 per person, but now the price has fallen to around NT$7-8000. What is included varies from operator to operator, so you should compare before you buy.

Individual travellers should note that there are only 10 flights daily each way between Kinmen and Taipei or Kinmen and Kaohsiung. Demand is high and tickets are quickly snapped up, so individual travellers may find it difficult to reserve seats.

Travel documents: Visitors to Kinmen must apply for a travel permit from Kinmen County Administration. Individual visits are restricted to sightseeing, visits to relatives in the armed forces, and visits by official invitation. Applicants should apply with the relevant documents and pay a processing fee of NT$100 per person. Kinmen County Administration's Taipei office can be contacted on (02) 332 4365.

Transport: Buses on Kinmen serve a wide area, with bus stations located at Chincheng, Shamei and Shanwai. Buses run to almost all the major scenic spots, but are not very frequent. Visitors with plenty of time to spare can consider travelling by bus, while others can hire motorcycles or bicycles.

Taxis are not metered. Fares must be negotiated individually.

A ferry service runs between Kinmen and Little Kinmen. The fare is NT$10 each way.

Accommodation: There are numerous new hotels, and also rooms available with local families. Rooms are easy to book except at holidays.

Snacks: On Kinmen fresh oysters, fried oyster pancakes, oyster noodles and oyster rolls are all cheap and tasty.

All the villages have snack stands or grocery shops, so food and drink are easily available.

Other information: Public toilets on Kinmen are few and far between.

Suggested itinerary: Kinmen is not large, and is best explored independently. If you have two days available, you can divide the island into two parts, visiting the eastern half the first day and the western half the second day. If you have three days, divide Kinmen into eastern, central and western parts. With four days, divide it north, south, east and west, and so on. Kinmen County Administration publishes a list of suggested itineraries.

A long line of cyclists wheeling their bicycles onto the ferry is a novel sight at Shuitou quay.

To make the visit worthwhile, as well as cycling one should take notice of local life and customs.

Red flags on the backs of the children's bikes warn drivers to take extra care.

Kinmen's Main Tourist Attractions.