Qionglin

Among many other traditional villages in Kinmen, Qionglin stands out from the rest with its myriads of historic houses and temples. It is also home to a wealth of scholars passing the highest imperial civil service examination, who therefore became “Jinshi” (official).

The village of Qionglin is beautifully constructed of red bricks, and the quaint houses are topped with swallowtail roofs that consist of ornate sickles curling up into the air at the ends of a roof’s ridge which resembles the tail of a swallow. These are very prominent parts of the traditional Minnan architecture. In 1949, Chinese communist forces launched a night attack on Kinmen and fought a pitched battle with R.O.C. troops for 56 hours before finally being repulsed. The area where the battle was fought is now known as "Guningtou Battlefield.” However, the Chinese communist forces were supposed to land on Qionglin, but a whiff of north wind changed their route. The lucky village therefore got to stay intact after the war.

Every single village on the island of Kinmen has at least one guardian lion that wards off evil spirits, and the ones in Qionglin are said to be the grandest and largest. You never know where they hide themselves, so just hit the road and look into every corner of the island — you will be happily surprised!