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| Xiamen Airport, July 1, 2014 |
You could not get from mainland China to Taiwan directly until 2008. Going through Hong Kong as a stepping stone was a common practice. The relationship between mainland China and Taiwan has improved so much in recent years that travel between Xiamen and Kinmen becomes possible. The immigration formalities and procedures are streamlined enough that even foreign passport holders can travel between China and Taiwan through this interesting and often cheaper route.
Nowadays a ferry ride would take only 30 minutes from
Xiamen to
Kinmen. There are regular domestic commercial air flights between Kinmen and major cities in Taiwan. Domestic flights are considerably less expensive than cross-strait flights between Taiwan and mainland China.
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| Wutong Terminal from the ferry, July 3, 2014 |
After my business travel to Beijing this time, I flew from Beijing to Xiamen and took the ferry from the Wutong terminal to Kinmen. The travel agent booked the ticket for me for 190 RMB (10 RMB service charge by the agent). This is about 30 US dollars. There is a short taxi ride from the Xiamen airport to the
Wutong terminal. The ferry runs roughly hourly during the day. The web link above is unfortunately only in Chinese.
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| Tulou Cluster, July 3, 2014 |
I took a side trip for two days to visit
Tulou, west of Xiamen, which is about 3-hour driving distance. You can see my future Tulou blog for that stint.
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| Wutong Ferry Terminal, July 3, 2014 |
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The Wutong ferry terminal is fairly new and the immigration procedure is very streamlined and fast. These days, new facilities like this all look alike with shiny floors, comfortable chairs and good lighting.
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| Ferry from Xiamen to Kinmen, July 3, 2014 |
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On the day I traveled (July 3, 2014), the ferry was pretty empty, as you can see from the picture to the left.
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| Kinmen's Ferry Terminal, July 3, 2014 |
On the Kinmen side, the ferry terminal is also spiffy and fairly new. The immigration formalities were quick and straightforward. I have never been in Kinmen before, and this historical island is a place I always wanted to visit in person.
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| Kinmen Island map at the ferry terminal July 3, 2014 |
Kinmen and
Matsu islands were the strongholds for Taiwan, which are only miles away from mainland China, during the intense confrontations between the Communist Chinese government and the KMT-led Taiwanese government.
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| One of the M5A1 Tanks that saved Kinmen in 1949 |
It is interesting to visit the
Guningtou war museum that depicted the invasion that the Communist Chinese almost won in 1949 after the People's Republic of China was founded. The man-made underground tunnels that were built to move supplies through heavy bombardment also provide excellent perspectives on that period of time.
Area wise, Kinmen is only slightly smaller than urban Xiamen, which was also an island before the connecting bridges and tunnels were built in the last few decades. Population wise, there is a huge difference. Kinmen has about 100 thousand residents normally, while urban Xiamen is home for 2 million people.
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| Kinmen Airport, July 5, 2014 |
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| Shuttle to board plane from Kinmen to Tainan, July 5, 2014 |
My flight from Kinmen to Tainan took only 50 minutes at 20,000 feet. Tainan was the historical capital of Taiwan before the Qing dynasty decided to modernize Taiwan. My younger sister's family is in Tainan, which is an excellent excuse to visit.
The high speed rail (HSR) ride is less than 2 hours from Tainan to Taipei and covers about 250 kilometers. Since early 2014, United Airlines has offered non-stop flights between Taipei and San Francisco.
