How Kinmen in Taiwan Turned Me into a Travel Vlogger

In March 2023, I moved to Kinmen Island in Taiwan to live there permanently. I had visited the island a few years prior as a tourist and realized that simply sharing a few travel pictures would not do the job. Instead, I started a video documentation. In this blog, I want to share how Kinmen Island turned me into a travel vlogger. If you want to know more about my story, read more about Ferdinand.

Fighting Fake News About Kinmen Island

Kinmen was the last battleground of the Chinese Civil War and experienced heavy artillery shelling for years. Today, many of these former battlegrounds and the old military equipment are tourist attractions. Without the relevant context information, these locations are prone to create a wrong impression because Kinmen is now peaceful and a popular tourist destination.

Due to the ongoing threats from China, Kinmen’s proximity to Xiamen, and the demilitarized military equipment along the coast, there is a temptation to tell a story more focused on clickbaiting than facts. As it turns out, the online edition of the German magazine “Der Spiegel” could not resist and published an article containing incorrect information.

The editor called outdated demilitarized tanks “battle-ready” and stationed at hot frontlines. The report described actors demonstrating artillery drills in the Lions Fort in Kinmen as “soldiers on duty”, just some false claims. I contacted the editor then, but there was no interest in correcting the errors. Only after I reached out to the Federal State Media Authority (German: Landesmedienanstalt) and requested an investigation did the publisher agree to a correction, as you see in the screenshot.

Noting that Spiegel.de is among the top 30 most visited websites in Germany, they did exactly what I wanted to avoid: Creating a wrong image of Kinmen. Thus, I started my first playlist, the Kinmen Travel Tales. I am not objective, but I try to get all the facts together to build an informed opinion.

Covering the Battle of Kinmen and More

I began with the history of Kinmen and spent days researching and visiting places. The Battle of Guningtou, the last battle of the Chinese Civil War, for example, took place in Kinmen. I made two full episodes about the history of Kinmen and continue producing Kinmen videos to this day.

Looking back today, I realize I have come a long way. Besides improving my ability to speak to the camera, my editing skills and tech stack have also improved. Still on a budget, you can read the details on my page about travel vlogging, but I am happy to produce in 4K now, for example. Additionally, I cover topics far beyond Kinmen Island like my trip to Wulai in Taiwan.

Stories Around Kaoliang Liquor and Kinmen Knives

Even before my arrival on Kinmen, I started my research, focusing mostly on its history. I quickly realized that by becoming a travel vlogger, I had many more opportunities to experience Kinmen. One example is the local products episode, which covers, among other things, Kaoliang Liquor and Kinmen Knives. I loved the “Blacksmith Show” that I caught on tape.

Due to my real job, I have less and less time for videos in Kinmen. I often have to return to the mainland of Taiwan, but I am still glad that Kinmen is part of Taiwan. However, I still find time to produce videos about Kinmen. Maybe I will find a job in Kinmen so that I do not have to commute back and forth.