Explore Kinmen County
Curated travel attractions — browse by region or category.
Guishan Beach
烈嶼鄉 · Nature & Scenery
Guishan, formerly known as Turtle Mountain, is located west of Lingshui Lake in Lieyu and extends along the southern coast. The L19 military position still quietly watches over Guishan.
Shanglin Beach
烈嶼鄉 · Nature & Scenery
Located in Lieyu Township, Shanglin Beach is a coastal gem that combines natural ecology with cultural scenery. The beach sits in front of the Li General Temple in Shanglin, offering a wide view that stretches toward Xiamen across the water, making it an excellent place to enjoy the sea and sunset. The area features rich intertidal ecosystems, and expansive oyster farms appear at low tide. Visitors can often see oyster farmers working among the mudflats, creating a fishing-village atmosphere distinctive to Kinmen. A viewing bridge and pavilion along the coast provide a comfortable place to rest and take in the scenery.
Xibian Beach
Jinhu Township · Amusement & Leisure
Xibian Beach is located on the eastern side of Xibian Village in Jinning Township. Its crescent-shaped white sand beach embraces an endless blue sea. The sand is unpolluted, soft and finely textured, clean and flawless, and feels excellent underfoot.
Kinmen County Forestry Bureau
金沙鎮 · Culture & Arts
Located in Jincheng Township, Kinmen, the Forestry Bureau is a lush green attraction in Kinmen. According to local tradition, early Kinmen was once covered with abundant vegetation, but when Koxinga captured Kinmen in the Ming dynasty, many trees were cut down to support construction, leaving the island barren. In 1951, the government began promoting greening, landscape improvement, and reforestation on Kinmen. After repeated setbacks and refinements, the island gradually overcame these difficulties, laid the foundation for its greenery, and improved the living environment for both residents and military personnel.
Yang Hua Former Residence
金寧鄉 · Historic Sites
Yang Hua was a distinguished military officer of the Qianlong and Jiaqing eras, who once took part in the campaign against Lin Shuangwen and in anti-piracy operations. His ancestral residence is a traditional Minnan-style building with a three-section courtyard layout and a left-side protected wing. The main hall is decorated with a Sanchuan ridge, while the front and rear halls feature a continuous swallow-tail ridge. The detailed ornamentation is especially refined, with notable wood carvings and brick carvings on the door panels. Although the painted colors on the beams, columns, and bracket sets have faded, the carving remains vigorous and expressive.
古龍頭振威第
金寧鄉 · Historic Sites
Han Ying Yun Gen Inscription
金城鎮 · Historic Sites
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.
Gulongtou Shuiwei Tower
金寧鄉 · Historic Sites
On the shore of Shuangli Lake stand a Shuiwei Tower and a Fengshiye, forming a distinctive cultural landscape. The Beishan Shuiwei Tower was built in the 32nd year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty (1767) and is listed as a county-level historic site. It was intended to suppress tidal waters and help preserve prosperity, reflecting its feng shui significance.
Qionglin Yi Men San Jie Fang
Jinhu Township · Historic Sites
Qionglin Yi Men San Jie Fang is a Qing dynasty chastity archway located on the old official road in the western outskirts of Qionglin Village, Jinhu Township. It is the most poignant of the three surviving Qing dynasty archways in Kinmen. Built in 1831, this stone archway appears to symbolize honor and glory, but behind it lies the bitter story of three widows in one family. It is now a county-designated historic site.
Shimen Pass
Jinhu Township · Historic Sites
On the way to Haiyin Temple, visitors must pass through an arched stone gateway. Because it functions like a mountain pass, it is called Shimen Pass and is one of the Twelve Wonders of Mount Taiwu. Built from solid, neatly cut granite, Shimen Pass is topped with a reversed-eave roof and slightly upturned corners at all four ends, giving it a graceful, light appearance. The horizontal plaque bears the four characters “First of Sea and Mountain,” written by the Ming loyalist Lu Ruoteng, and the site is now listed as a county-designated heritage monument.
Ruiyou School
金沙鎮 · Historic Sites
Ruiyou School was built in 1934. After Mr. Chen Ruiyou made his fortune in Singapore, he commissioned his fellow clansman Chen Dexing to build Ruiyou School in his hometown of Bishan. The campus covered 20 ares and enrolled children from nearby settlements free of charge, benefiting the local community.
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.