If I travel from Xiamen to Kinmen Island, do I need a Taiwan pass and visa?

Required. Kinmen Island is actually controlled by the Taiwanese authorities.

In mainland China, the administration of Kinmen is divided into Kinmen County, Quanzhou City, Fujian Province, but Kinmen Island is controlled by Taiwan. Taiwan also established Kinmen County on the island and made it the so-called Fujian Province of the Republic of China. The provincial government formed the phenomenon of one island and two counties.

Kinmen Island is an island in Xiamen Bay, with an area of ??151.65 square kilometers and a population of about 105,400. It is about 10 kilometers away from Xiamen City and was once a frontier military island.

Kinmen Island is located in the southwest waters of Quanzhou City. It hangs alone on the east coast of Xiamen Island and strangles the throat of Xiamen Port. It is a barrier in southern Fujian. It faces Taiwan to the east and Xiamen to the west. A city wall was built on the island in the Ming Dynasty. It is said that at that time Zheng Chenggong once raised troops here.

Kinmen Island is shaped like a butterfly with spread wings, narrow in the middle and wide at the east and west ends, with the east wing being larger than the west wing. The whole island is about 20 kilometers from east to west. The longest point in the north-south direction is at the east end, about 15.5 kilometers. The narrow part in the middle is only 3 kilometers. The main peak, Taiwu, is 253 meters above sea level. There are only small streams on the island, with short sources and small volumes.

Extended information

The folk customs of Kinmen not only maintain the characteristics of southern Fujian, but are also unique and charming. Traditional folk festivals are exactly the same as those in mainland China, especially those in Zhangzhou and Quanzhou. Among the annual ritual sacrificial games, the "Welcome to the City God" is the largest. Villagers on the island regard stone lions as protectors. Standing stone lions wearing armor or outer cloaks can be seen everywhere at the intersection of villages. Incense is often burned in front of the lions, which is a unique sight in Kinmen.

The 18 ancient Minnan-style houses in Zhongbao behind the mountain, located at the northern end of Jinsha, have high swallowtails. They not only represent the folk customs of Kinmen, but also reflect the colorfulness of China. They have been designated as a "Folk Culture Village". The famous slogan "Three People's Principles to Unify China" on Kinmen Island is far away from the slogan "One Country, Two Systems to Unify China" on the other side of Xiamen.

Kinmen people often have objects to ward off evil around their houses, such as Bagua mirrors, wind lions on the walls, and so on. The Wind Lion God has the sacred task of safeguarding the peace of the village. Among the evil spirits in Xiaojinmen, the wind chicken, which specializes in controlling termites, is used to block the wind. Kinmen lacks deep bays, Hong Kong and Macao, and the land is barren and arid. Because life is not easy, residents mostly engage in small-scale farming and fishing, or join the army.

Therefore, apart from the official family background, the vast majority of the local residents are farmers, workers and a few traders. In this social background, the cultural characteristics derived include two extremes: noble and vulgar.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Kinmen Island