As a child I often used to sit in the shade of a tree in my native home, and I became very used to the smell of Kinmen's soil. When I went to Taiwan to study at university, there were paddy fields near where I lived, but the soil on Taiwan was black, and smelled different from the red soil of Kinmen. So I knew that Taiwan was not my home.
Nowadays, despite understanding that Kinmen's red soil is not good for cultivation, I still feel that black earth is not good, only red earth is good.
The second thing I missed about Kinmen while in Taiwan, in addition to the red earth, was the army's morning reveille. When I was a child the army often used to make use of local homes, and there was frequently a military encampment nearby, so that we could hear the reveille every morning.
Kinmen doesn't have any particular natural resources, and it would be very difficult to exist independently. So it is necessary to rely on other people. People in Kinmen all know that to the mainland and to Taiwan, Kinmen is just a "frontier." We also understand that the government has a sequence for reconstruction, but what people in Kinmen want is not a lot, just a safe, stable and respectable living.
There used to be a sign by the Chung Shan Memorial Forest reading, "You make your own road yourself." In my opinion as a Kinmen Islander, that really says it. We on Kinmen have suffered for many generations, and this generation has a greater responsibility than before.
Many people think that Kinmen should develop its tourism, but who will take responsibility if tourism brings in problems like crime, pollution and a tasteless, flashy atmosphere?
There are already karaoke centers all over Kinmen, and tour groups to the island are all taken to sing at them, which makes me ashamed. If Kinmen is to be turned into some sort of a Las Vegas, then I am absolutely opposed. At the moment, the most important thing is how we can guide Kinmen in the permanently right direction.
[Picture Caption]
Kinmen high school teacher Hsu Wei chuan worries about the island's direction of development after it opens up to tourism. (photo by Vincent Chang)
The Chu Kuang Building was constructed in 1953 by Kinmen Defense Commander Hu Lien to commemorate the officers and men who gave their lives in various battles for the island. It remains a must stop for visitors to the island today.
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