The now musty museums of military history that dot Kinmen island seem these days to be a half-hearted attempt to keep alive memories of glorious and bloody resistance to communism. Yet they are as neglected as the KTV parlors, cafes and convenience stores that once serviced the "soldier boys" in Little Kinmen's "downtown."
For more than a decade, more soldiers have been leaving than arriving on Kinmen, Taiwan's front-line outpost in the Strait at just a few kilometers from China.
It is a trend that the locals know all too well, for their economic security -- more than their physical security -- has been tightly intertwined with the military's presence. "We had a good life when the soldiers were here," says Ms Hung, a taxi driver on Little Kinmen. "There used to be 10,000 of them [stationed on Little Kinmen]."
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
Transition
Kinmen's declining defensive role in the cross-Strait equation has presented a new challenge to the island's residents. They must shift gears from a military-based to a tourist-and-trade based economy. The local government is hoping the opening to China of the little "three links" -- direct trade, transportation and communication -- will kick-start the transformation, painting dollar signs into what seems a bleak economic picture.
There are lots of reasons for visiting Kinmen, primary among them is its reputation as a military stronghold riddled with tunnels and reinforced over 50 years of occupation, making it tough enough to supposedly withstand a nuclear bomb. This is the novelty that has drawn in the lion's share of 40,000 tourists a month since 1993.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
But there is also antique Chinese architecture, quiet country roads and idyllic sunsets over Red China that can be absorbed over watered-down sips of the island's classic kaoliang wine and while listening to tales spun by the locals. "This place is full of stories," says Yan En-wei, spokesperson for the county government. "In-depth tourism is the best way to reveal the real interest of the island."
But how to do this and whether to do this are two questions debated by residents. The difficulties of bringing in even more tourists was apparent during the First Kinmen Tourism Festival held last month, which focused on the city god nativity ceremony of the Wuchou City God Temple (
But the showcase of local tradition was viewed by some as having only mild appeal to outsiders. "I don't think many tourists will take part," says the owner of a porridge shop. "It's basically a local affair." But for Sun Li-ting (
A view to china
Since 1993, when travel restrictions were lifted, nearly 3 million people have visited the island. Nevertheless, some in local government want more, especially since experiencing double-digit tourism growth percentages in 1994 and 1995, then seeing a downturn to 3 percent growth in 1996 and a 20 percent drop in 1998.
At the same time, the number of troops on Kinmen has been halved during the last decade, according to the Ministry of National Defense. Although the ministry doesn't provide precise troop strength figures, it is believed that about 25,000 to 30,000 troops are still stationed there, says Andrew Yang (
This combination of fewer tourists and troop demobilization is why local officials like Chen Shui-tzai (
Such numbers, while they might have local businesses seeing dollar signs, are not attractive to all of Kinmen's residents. Signs of progress on the island are more often than not disparaged as irredeemably altering the things that make the island attractive. "It is losing its uniqueness," says Chang Huan-tang (
Other locals also wonder if history, especially one related to Taiwan's military, is really an attraction to mainlanders. And some doubt whether Kinmen, with its basic infrastructure, is developed and entertaining enough for vacationers. Sitting in a slightly dilapidated noodle house to escape the scorching afternoon heat, Sun, the tour guide, says, "People are looking forward to this huge influx of Chinese tourists, but what they forget is that compared to coastal Fujian Province (
Three links
The local government says it is ready to upgrade, though. Again, it points to projects associated with the small "three links" as proof of its preparation. As part of the NT$1.95 billion Kinmen Development Project (
But if the links are not opened, the projects mean little, for Kinmen wants to capitalize on being a way-station for as long as possible before the big "three links" are reestablished.
But Kinmen has almost never been in a position to prosper on its own. Since imperial times, its greatest export was scholars, who brought considerable wealth to the island from their government service on the mainland. The village of Chiungling (
But while money flowed in, people flowed out, and this drain continues to be a thorn in the side of the island's economic development.
Sun said that of her high school class of 40 students, only 10 now remain in Kinmen, and these are mostly women. All the others have gone to "Taiwan," which Kinmen people still refer to as a distinct entity from themselves. "It is really difficult to find work here, so of course young people do not stay," she says.
One of the effects of the small "three links" would be to more closely link the Kinmen economy to that of Xiamen (
While it is unlikely that there will be any large-scale corporate investment in Kinmen associated with the links, due to its lack of infrastructure, its role as an entry point to Taiwan will help stimulate the development of a local tourism and service industry, according to Kao An-pang (
But just how fast the links are opened is a matter of concern. While the local government wants speedy action, the central government seems poised for a slow approach. President Chen Shui-bian (
If the big three links are opened soon after, or simultaneously with the small ones, then it could be disastrous to Kinmen's plans.
Uncertain future
Kenneth Lin, a professor of economics at National Taiwan University, was not so optimistic about the long-term prospects for Kinmen. While he agreed that the small three links would help Kinmen develop as an exit/entry point between China and Taiwan, he said that these benefits would largely be eclipsed with the opening of the big three links. He added that "as direct air links may still be some years in the future, there is still some time."
Back on Kinmen, driving north along Minchu Road, to the military memorial known as Jukuan Tower (
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