Known for decades as a heavily fortified bastion, the islands of Kinmen County are now seeing battlefields transformed into tourist attractions — and one of the biggest draws is a park centered on landmines.
Located on Little Kinmen, or Lieyu (烈嶼), the Landmine Theme Park has drawn thousands of visitors every month after opening in the middle of 2012, the Lieyu Township Office said.
The park, which was once a minefield, includes a tunnel filled with mines and warning signs from Taiwan, Cambodia and other countries to inform visitors of the area’s dangerous past. Simulated images of Kinmen beaches covered in the mines give a glimpse into what locals once saw every day.
Photo: CNA
A “removal crew” of mannequins dressed in orange uniforms and protective gear gives a step-by-step demonstration of the delicate demining procedure.
The park represents a commitment to removing mines across Kinmen as the county aims at becoming a landmine-free place that appeals to tourists.
“Landmines are part of Kinmen’s battlefield characteristics,” said Hung Jui-hung (洪瑞鴻), head of the townshipce’s tourism department.
The park aims to preserve “that special memory,” Hung said.
Park officials plan to expand the park’s walking trails and observatories, and to create a simulation of landmines buried in bushes.
“We hope it will help attract more tourists to Kinmen,” Hung said.
Tens of thousands of mines were deployed around Kinmen County, which was on the frontline of Taiwan’s defense against China throughout the Cold War.
However, as cross-strait tensions have eased in recent years, Kinmen has looked to capitalize on its military history by transforming itself into a “park in the war zone.”
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
Quarantine awareness posters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have gone viral for their use of wordplay. Issued by the airport branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, the posters feature sniffer dogs making a range of facial expressions, paired with advisory messages built around homophones. “We update the messages for holidays and campaign needs, periodically refreshing materials to attract people’s attention,” quarantine officials said. “The aim is to use the dogs’ appeal to draw focus to quarantine regulations.” A Japanese traveler visiting Taiwan has posted a photo on X of a poster showing a quarantine dog with a
RSS