Jinsha Village

Jinsha Village is located on Nangan’s Island’s (南竿島) south west coast and is a small fishing village, situated on the edge of Yuntai Mountain (雲台山). This is Nangan Island’s closest village to China. Its name, which uses a character with a similar pronunciation to the one for “golden” (金), comes from the color of its fine sand. Of all the villages on Nangan Island, Jinsha Village is well preserved enough to classify of the quaintest. Upon entering Jinsha Village, you will see children running to and fro in the big square. On one side of the square are dilapidated houses that have weathered many storms, while the other side has a Bed & Breakfast which has been renovated and still retains the old style of Hokkien architecture. Even though you can feel a sense of bleakness at many corners of the village, lively decorations add new ambience to the rustic village.

Some of the residents in Jinsha Village have come here to marry from China. Although you can tell from their accent that they are not Taiwanese, you can still sense the friendliness characteristic of the Taiwanese when chatting. This fishing village of the past has become a stylish place today. Some of the residents make their living by running Bed & Breakfasts, youth hostels, restaurants and cafes. Despite the modern developments, well-preserved Hokkien style stone houses cover the small hill of the village. Especially at night, with the installation of lights, it has an atmosphere unique to mountain towns, despite the many defense constructions that originated out of military needs still being visible today. Interestingly, even the public toilets have been renovated from a bunker. The last thing worth a mention is that the terrain around Jinsha Village is quite steep, with dramatic rises and falls. If you are not good at driving a scooter, you need to be especially careful.