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China > Fujian > Kinmen County

Kinmen County

Kinmen (Chinese: 金門; pinyin:Jīnm�n; also romanised Quemoy from coastal Min nan (in early Spanish romanization); literally "Golden Door" or "Golden Gate"), administratively, Kinmen county is part of Fujian's Quanzhou Prefecture of People's Republic of China (PRC). Since the Ming Dynasty, Kinmen has been called Jinmen, meaning a "strong gate as if made of gold", for the place was like a gate controlling the sea area. The people share the same traditional festivals with the mainlanders, especially Zhangzhou and Quanzhou people.

Kinmen County
Many of the county's inhabitants speak the Southern Min language (Hokkien). 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 two dialects are mutually intelligible. It is geographically very near Xiamen, no more than 2 kilometers.

Kinmen is recognized as a national park. Because of its military importance, development on the island was extremely limited. As a result, 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. Local artisans would collect the vast amounts of exploded ordnance and make high-quality knives which are still sought after by chefs and connoisseurs. Kinmen is also home of the locally famous Kinmen Kaoliang liquor, a tequila-like liquor which is highly appreciated by the Taiwanese. The Kinmen Airport is located on the bigger island.

Quanzhou Prefecture - Fujian
District Name
Licheng District - Fengze District - Luojiang District - Quangang District
City and County Name
Anxi County - Dehua County - Hui'an County - Jinjiang City - Kinmen County - Nan'an City - Shishi City - Yongchun County