10 Best Places to Visit in Little Kinmen
I am a big fan of Xiao Kinmen, the smaller main island. Thus, I want to convince you to visit it. The only thing I find a bit strange is calling it “Little Kinmen,” even though that is the official English name. It sounds like a bad knock-off of a rapper’s name.
Anyway, Lieyu, as locals call it, gets overlooked. Many tourists miss the main attractions. I want to give you my personal list of the best places to visit in Little Kinmen.
If you want more general information about Kinmen, I have a dedicated page on the island and a Kinmen eBook. And if you want to learn more about Xiao Kinmen but do not feel like reading, check out my Kinmen podcast. In the sixth episode, I talk about Xiao Kinmen.
What to do in Little Kinmen?
We will start with the Jiugong Tunnel, the largest tunnel accessible to tourists on Kinmen today. The Taiwanese army opened this tunnel in 1965 after several years of construction. Soldiers used this underground fortification to ensure that food and military supplies could be transported safely to Little Kinmen.
Do not confuse this place with the Zhaishan Tunnel in Jincheng. It is also an underground fortification, but it is smaller. However, the Zhaishan Tunnel is more famous due to its more convenient location and the classical music festival that takes place there once a year
The Jiugong Tunnel is huge. It stretches 790 meters in length and reaches a height of 11.5 meters. If you cannot picture it, I have a dedicated video about the tunnel. Still, I highly recommend visiting Kinmen to see it in person. Every time I come here, I feel a sense of nostalgia. I remember taking the ferry to Xiao Kinmen, which no longer runs.
No More Landmines on Kinmen Island (Including Xiao Kinmen)
The Landmine Museum in Little Kinmen is actually a combination of locations. You enter through Tiehan Fort, while the museum itself is located in an underground tunnel. After passing through the exhibition, you emerge at Yongshi Fort. I cover the architecture and details of this site in my video about landmines on Kinmen Island.
What I am trying to say is that even if you are not into military stuff, visit this landmark in Little Kinmen. The view and the architecture make the trip worthwhile.
The Taiwanese army once used this stronghold complex for defense. After all, you are facing the Chinese coast; you can even see Xiamen from here. Fortunately, Kinmen is peaceful today, but you can still feel how intense the conflict once was. There used to be over 100,000 landmines on the island.
The General’s Fortress Is Not Much of a Detour
Right next to the Kinmen Bridge, you find the General’s Fortress. At first glance, this small fortification does not look like much. However, it once played an important role and was packed with soldiers. You can still see the rifle firing positions, and at one point, there were 24 machine guns installed in this tiny space.
Chiang Kai-shek’s son, Chiang Ching-kuo, visited this site in 1958 during the 823 Artillery Battle, even as China was shelling Kinmen Island. At the time, soldiers used the fortress to monitor operations on the water between the main island of Kinmen and Little Kinmen.
I featured this place in my first video about Xiao Kinmen. Check it out if you want to learn more.
Hujingtou Battle Museum in Little Kinmen
Technically, the Hujingtou Battle Museum in Little Kinmen is not a military fortification. But it does look like one, so I listed it here. You see detailed records of the Dadan and Erdan Battles, and the 823 Artillery Battle. It also shows the military operations in Little Kinmen. A variety of other exhibits include telephones that let you listen in on former soldiers’ calls home (in Chinese only).
Every bus tour will stop at this place. It is also a great location to fuel up your Instagram account. But that, in combination with a tourist group, can also mean that this place can get very crowded. I still want to mention it, as any tourist guide will tell you the Hujingtou Battle Museum is a main tourist attraction in Little Kinmen.
Shaxi Fort Gives You a Great View From Kinmen To China
Shaxi Fort offers an amazing view over nearby cliffs, beaches, and bays. There is an observation pavilion as well as a tunnel. The last time I checked, the tunnel was open. However, I also remember reading that it may be under renovation at some point this year.
There are better tunnels on Kinmen anyway. You should come to this westernmost point of Little Kinmen simply to enjoy the view. It is one of the best places to catch the sunset in all of Kinmen. Just look at the scenery and tell me I am wrong. Or use the binoculars to spot Dadan and Erdan Islands, as well as the skyscrapers of Xiamen.
Outdoor Places in Little Kinmen
The government expanded the Xishan Lake Park in 2025, and it is now even bigger. I did not manage to include the new facilities in my videos. But there is plenty to enjoy: earth mound slides, seesaws, balance equipment, spinning discs, climbing towers, swings, dual-track zip lines, balance jumps, and rocking cups. So, if you are traveling in Taiwan with kids, this is definitely the place to visit in Little Kinmen.
You will also come across the “Wind Chickens” on Little Kinmen. They complement the wind lions found all over Kinmen. The Wind Chickens are believed to protect Little Kinmen and are still worshipped today. I talk more about the “Gods of Kinmen” in the 9th episode of my Kinmen Podcast.
Another place I like is the Mao Gong Shi Island Recreation Area (貓公石眺景平台). Located in northern Little Kinmen, this area is named after its distinctive red rocks, known as maogongshi. In fact, it is the only place in Taiwan where these rocks can be found.
Most Famous Buildings on the Smaller Kinmen Island
This article is already fairly long, and you hopefully realize that Little Kinmen is not just a day trip. However, I still want to point out the Western-style buildings that you also find on Xiao Kinmen. As far as I remember, there are no old mansions that are accessible to the public. In my video about the Western-Style Houses of Kinmen, I did shoot in front of some houses on Little Kinmen, but they privately owned. People still live in them, so I kept my distance.
The other “building” is the Kinmen Bridge that I mentioned already. The local government opened it on October 30, 2022. Since then, going to and from Lieyu no longer depends on the ferry schedule. The total length of the bridge is about 5.4 km, and the largest span is 200 meters. Due to its size, it is not really a building. And yet, an absolute must-visit landmark.
Last words about Little Kinmen
This is my article about Xiao Kinmen. I hope I can motivate you to visit Kinmen Island and go traveling in Taiwan. Against my own will, I used the term Little Kinmen. If you look at the map of Kinmen, you actually find the Term “Lesser Kinmen”. Both sound a bit odd to me.
Thanks for reading. If you have time, check out my Kinmen videos on YouTube.
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