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Kinmen magistrate envisions new role for outlying island
2010/03/18 15:18:29 |
Kinmen Magistrate Lee Wo-shi, a native of the island who survived the wartime years when Kinmen was Taiwan's frontline against Communist China's attempted invasion, wants to construct a new image for the island.
He envisions an image of reconciliation and cooperation, coupled with a congenial environment for cross-Taiwan Strait relations, which would allow greater possibilities for the Kinmen people and create a new role for Kinmen.
"Kinmen can play a pivotal role in the transportation network in the coastal Fujian region, " said Lee, noting that Kinmen has the advantage of geographical proximity to Xiamen, one of China's most prosperous port cities.
Kinmen County is an island group that consists of 12 isles, the main ones being Greater Kinmen and Little Kinmen. The isles are located about 230 kilometers west of Taiwan proper and 10 kilometers east of Xiamen.
Direct cross-strait transportation links started with Kinmen-Xiamen ferry services in 2001 when the Taiwan government first implemented the so-called "mini three links."
"Kinmen managed to establish systematic operations in the first few years despite the very rigid restrictions under the Democratic Progressive Party administration," Lee said.
Prior to June 19, 2008, only residents of Kinmen and Taiwanese businessmen based in China were allowed to travel via the Kinmen-Xiamen ferry service. With the opening of the service to all documented travelers, the travel volume increased from 10,656 passenger trips in 2001 to 644,756 trips in 2009, according to statistics compiled by the National Immigration Office.
"Currently, there are two Kinmen-Xiamen sea routes and one Kinmen- Quanzhou route, and we hope that in the near future Kinmen can become a hub with additional routes to Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Chaozhou," Lee said.
Currently, the Kinmen-Xiamen ferry service begins at 8: 00 a. m. daily and runs every half an hour until 5: 30 p.m. A one-way trip, which takes about 30 minutes, costs NT$650 from Kinmen and 130 yuan from Xiamen.
"The county government is discussing with the travel industry the possibility of extending the service hours, in view of the fact that an increasing number of tourists to Kinmen are choosing to go over to Xiamen for day tours, taking advantage of the visa-free travel between the two ports," the magistrate said.
He suggested that the local tourism industry may benefit from a nighttime ferry and cruise service.
When direct transportation, trade and postal links between Taiwan and China were first fully implemented on Dec. 15, 2008, the advantage that Kinmen had during the mini-link years became questionable.
"While some were worrying that Kinmen's emerging opportunities would be curtailed, many Kinmen people, who have learned to live with what they can get, began to think of new directions for development of the island group, " Lee said.
Kinmen, which was under martial law for almost half a century, has no big businesses or industrial establishments. Some 70 percent of its employed population work for government agencies. The islanders enjoy good social welfare, thanks to rewards from the highly successful medium-sized Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor Inc.
Lee thinks that the islands' war legacy as well as their carefully restored Mingnan (southern Fujian) architecture are unique characteristics on which the county's tourism industry can be developed.
In 1949, the 150 square kilometer island group became an outpost for Taiwan after the nationalist army, facing setbacks one after another in battles with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) on the Chinese mainland, set up a garrison command on Greater Kinmen.
The frontline island was propelled into the international spotlight after the Guningtou Battle in which the PLA launched a surprise attack on Oct. 25, 1949 and was defeated by the nationalist defending force on Guningtou beach in the northwestern sector of Greater Kinmen.
During the conflicts, Kinmen's military facilities were moved underground for defense purposes, and a web of tunnels served as the nerve system of the subterranean garrison command. Kinmen remained under martial law for decades until 1992.
When the Kinmen National Park was planned in the early 1990s, the legacy of the war years was adopted as a major theme, Lee recalled.
"Over the past years, the Kinmen Garrison Command has transferred the administration of the Guningtou Battle Museum that was on the nationalist army command base during the 56-hour battle, the Mashan warfare broadcasting station, and some underground tunnels to the national park administration and the county government," he said.
Although many people visit Kinmen on pilgrimages to honor its war history, the magistrate said, a first-time visitor would find Kinmen a unique place where Mingnan architecture and a commune culture have been well preserved because of the islands' isolation as a result of war.
He said that the people of Kinmen have successfully used their cultural heritage to achieve local development.
"Both the county government and the national park administration have helped local residents to repair and renovate old houses, some of which are still residences, and quite a few have been turned into exhibition centers, bed-and-breakfast guest houses, restaurants, and souvenir shops," said Lee proudly.
However, in the interest of long-term development, a bridge to connect Greater Kinmen and Little Kinmen (Liehyu) is considered extremely important, he added.
At present, many tourists miss the opportunity to explore the beautiful white sand beach and the unique biodiversity on Liehyu because of the inconvenience of getting there, he said.
"With the construction of a 5.43-kilometer bridge, it will take 10 minutes to travel from Greater Kinmen to Liehyu, about half the time it takes by ferry, "according to Lee.
The proposal to build a cross-sea bridge between the two isles was first raised by local residents 17 years ago, but because of the huge cost, there had been no concrete discussions of the idea until recently.
"The central government and the local government have finally reached consensus on the construction of the 'Kinmen Bridge' and the Kinmen County government needs to raise one third of the NT$5.7 billion budget," Lee disclosed.
For many Kinmen residents, the planned "Kinmen Bridge" is only part of the infrastructure that the outlying islands need to facilitate their development.
"With Kinmen's expanding ferry services, regular flights to five cities in Taiwan, and charter flights to Singapore and Macau, the county's residents are looking forward to the establishment of another direct channel to the Chinese mainland via a bridge network and we expect continued improvement of the cross-strait environment, which would allow Kinmen the opportunities it is seeking," Lee said. Enditem/pc CNA Photo No. 24, 26, 27 By Lillian Lin, CNA Staff Writer
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