金城鎮 · Historic Sites

Han Ying Yun Gen Inscription

Located on Xiantai Hill on the south side of Gugang Lake in Jincheng Township, Kinmen, this is one of the surviving stone inscriptions handwritten by the Ming Lu King. Lu King, acting as regent and seeking to restore the Ming dynasty, stayed on Kinmen Island for more than 10 years. This inscription, carved between 1652 and 1654 during the Yongli reign, reflects his resolute spirit and has been designated a county-level historic site. What is seen today consists of two carvings with reversed inscriptions; according to legend, the original stele once stood on a slope, later collapsed, and the text ended up upside down. Later generations then found a similar cliff face and made a rubbings-based recarving, creating the current reversed-inscription appearance.

Fenglianshan Muma Hou Shrine

金城鎮 · Historic Sites

A traditional three-section temple dedicated to Chen Yuan, the revered "Lord Who Opened Kinmen," this site was rebuilt during the Daoguang reign of the Qing dynasty and is now listed as a county-designated historic monument. According to legend, Chen Yuan often manifested to drive off Japanese raiders and protect the local people. The court therefore ordered the construction of a large seven-section temple, bestowed the plaque name "Fuji," and posthumously honored him as the "Sacred Marquis of Blessing and Protection"—the origin of Muma Hou Shrine. The temple still preserves the ancient "Fuji" plaque and Qing-era stele, while the dragon-and-tiger walls and the ridgeline decorations of figurines, ceramic work, and clay sculpture are also worth close attention.

Wentai Pagoda

金城鎮 · Historic Sites

Wentai Pagoda was built in the Ming dynasty in 1387 (Hongwu 20) and is one of the three stone pagodas ordered by the Hongwu Emperor and built on Kinmen by Zhou Dexing, the Marquis of Jiangxia. It is also the only Ming-dynasty stone pagoda in Kinmen that has not been destroyed by war or damaged by shellfire.

Xujiang Xiawo Inscription Group

金城鎮 · Historic Sites

The Xujiang Xiawo Inscription Group is a cluster of stone carvings formed by poems and inscriptions left by scholars and military officials of the Ming and Qing dynasties on large boulders, located on the southern slope of Nanpan Mountain, south of the ancient city of Kinmen and south of Wentaibao Pagoda. Its earliest inscription can be traced to 1547, when Yu Dayou, then the Kinmen Qianhu, carved the four characters "Xujiang Xiawo" here. "Xujiang" was his courtesy name, and this inscription gave the site its name.

Chiu Liang-kung Mother Chastity Arch

金城鎮 · Historic Sites

Qiu Liang-gong’s mother, Ms. Hsu, was the wife of Qing Dynasty General Zhenwei Qiu Zhiren. Not long after Qiu Liang-gong was one month old, his father Qiu Zhiren passed away, and Ms. Hsu, who was still quite young at the time, worked hard to raise him from infancy to adulthood.

General's Residence

金城鎮 · Historic Sites

The General's Residence is the former home of Lu Chengjin, who was posthumously granted the title of Martial Manifest General in the late Qing dynasty. Lu Chengjin, courtesy name Weili and art name Fenting, was born in the second year of the Daoguang reign and died in the twentieth year of the Guangxu reign.

Juguang Tower

金城鎮 · Historic Sites

Facing the beautiful scenery of Jincheng and backed by the Fonglian Mountain Range, first-time visitors to Kinmen should definitely climb Juguang Tower to take in the island’s views. As a symbol of Kinmen’s spirit, Juguang Tower combines a traditional Chinese watchtower design with a modern building base, creating a distinctive architectural beauty.

Kuige (Kuixing Tower)

金城鎮 · Historic Sites

Kuige, known locally in Kinmen as the "Kuixing Tower," is also called Kuigou or the Bagua Tower. It is a place of worship dedicated to Kuixing, one of the Five Wenchang deities in Chinese tradition. Because Kinmen was formerly not a county and therefore could not build a Confucius Temple, local people created this site so students would have a place to pray for good fortune before taking the imperial examinations. It was proposed by Lin Feizhang, a local notable from Houpu who had earned the degree of gongsheng, and he donated 1,000 taels of silver to fund its construction. The tower was built in 1836 during the 16th year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing dynasty at Tushan Head in Houpu, near what is now the Chen Shiyin Western-style house. It has a refined, rustic appearance and more than 180 years of history. Although it was renovated twice in 1955 and 1963, its original appearance was preserved, and it is listed as a county-designated historic site.

Qing Jincheng Military Headquarters

金城鎮 · Historic Sites

The site of the Qing Jincheng Military Headquarters was originally "Congqingxuan," said to have been the study where Xu Xie, a jinshi degree holder from the Ming dynasty Wanli era (1601), read and studied. During the Kangxi reign, General Chen Long considered that the old Kinmen City had suffered repeated wars in the late Ming period, while Houpu was becoming increasingly populated, so he relocated the military headquarters here. After several rounds of reconstruction, it grew into its current scale. Until Kinmen County was established in 1915, the headquarters remained the highest administrative center, later serving as the Kinmen County Office, Kinmen County Government, Administrative Office, Kinmen Defense Command, and more. Today it is a classic Kinmen tourist attraction and one of the county-designated historic sites.

Qiu Lianggong Historic House

金城鎮 · Historic Sites

This building is the ancestral home of Qiu Lianggong, located in the middle section of Wujiang Street in Jincheng Township. Inside, it still preserves a square bronze mirror and two carved stone tablets with dragon motifs and imperial edicts. The tablets are 61 cm high and 85 cm wide, and the two characters for “imperial edict” on each tablet are said to measure about 12 cm square. According to local tradition, when Lianggong was granted a noble title, the emperor heard that his family residence was very modest and therefore ordered the construction of a noble mansion, presenting these two edict stones to be placed in front of the mansion gate. The building is a one-hall-four-wing layout with a left projecting extension and wall enclosure.

Chen Shiyin Mansion

金城鎮 · Historic Sites

Chen Shiyin Mansion was built in 1932 with an investment of 30,000 silver dollars by Chen Shiyin of Gaokeng, Kinmen, who made his fortune through business in Singapore and Indonesia after going abroad in 1903 during the late Qing dynasty. It was designated a county-level historic site in 2006.

Zhuzi Shrine

金城鎮 · Historic Sites

The Kinmen Zhuzi Shrine was established in the 26th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing dynasty (1687) and originally set up within Wujiang Academy. In the 35th year of the Qianlong reign (1770), Assistant Magistrate Cheng Yu, finding the academy too cramped, proposed building a hall and surrounding wings, but the plan was not completed because he left office. The property was later purchased by the local notable Huang Rushi and converted back into an academy, with altars dedicated to Zhuzi, Kui Xing, the Wenchang Emperor, the God of Earth and Wealth, and Kinmen worthies such as Xu Sheng, Lü Dakui, Lin Xiyuan, Wang Lixing, Qiu Kui, and Xu Xie. In the 46th year of the Qianlong reign (1781), the original academy site was requisitioned for the county assistant magistrate’s office, and a new academy and Zhuzi Shrine were rebuilt on the former site of the local charity school to the west.