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Sunset at Qinbi V i l lage
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Where Taiwan Is Not Quite Itself
Riddle: What’s the farthest away you can get from Taiwan while still in Taiwan?Answer: sdnalsI ustaM (hold up to mirror) By Rick Charette
FEATURE MATSU
Travel in Taiwan9
Travel in Taiwan8
FEATURE
Travel in Taiwan10
MATSU
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The most visually distinctive cultural expression is the stone houses. Four old
villages are now protected, and stone houses are ubiquitous elsewhere. Beigan’s Qinbi and Nangan’s Niujiao are the most popular stone-house villages. Snuggled up between beach and mountain, Qinbi reminds you of old tiered, hill-clinging European villages by the Mediterranean. The granite blocks used in walls have rough, curved surfaces; those used in traditional southern Fujianese architecture are cut f lat. The red-tiled roofs are covered with large rocks for protection from the big, booming winds that of ten come howling in, holding the tiles down. The houses are said to “breathe,” for no mortar is used to fasten the tiles, facil itating ventilation. This also enables easy roof repair. There are no overhanging eaves, avoiding upward
wind pressure on roofs.
Locals say Qinbi houses are particularly well-built because this was once a pirate village, among the islands’ wealthiest. You’ll notice blocks in two shades, yellow and blue. The yellow is from Matsu, blue from mainland China; as a rough rule, blue meant you were more prosperous. As elsewhere, most structures are two-storied, the second f loor providing views, allowing breeze access, and bringing relief from the damp at ground level. Interior walls and beams are of wood. Windows tend to be small and higher up, for defense against attack.
You’ ll see bright-blue strips high up on what are called “f ire-sealing walls.” The blue symbolizes water, dousing wannabe f ires. Some are also topped with exaggerated vertical eaves that help block sparks from nearby f ires.
CultureMatsu is a better showcase of
traditional eastern Fujian culture than east Fujian itself is, where the infamous attacks on all “feudal olds” during Mao Zedong’s reign created turmoil and destruction.
Matsu folk have traditionally been seafaring people. Mazu, Goddess of the Sea, is unsurprisingly
very popular, as is a deity not known so well elsewhere in Taiwan, the White Horse God, who also protects ocean sojourners.
The harborfront Magang Mazu Temple is Matsu’s key place of worship. The goddess was born human over 1,000 years ago on the island of Meizhou to the north. She performed many miracles, and according to local Matsu Islands lore, her body f loated into this harbor af ter famously saving her f isherman father from drowning – all this, though
very real, happening in the girl’s f itful dreams while she lay at home sleeping. Matsu folk sent her body home, but buried her sacred garments here and, later, built this temple.
You’ ll notice the bright-orange walls on many local temples. These are a f ire-sealing wall variation. The color symbolizes f lames. Since the temples are already on f ire, why would real f ire need to visit?
Your Matsu impressions will be about the ubiquitous militar y forti f ications, dramatic seascapes, unique architecture and food, island-hopping, and birds
The answer, yes, is the Matsu Islands. “Taiwan” is of course the name of a great big island, but in the modern
political sense “Taiwan” is also a collection of this great big island and scores of smaller ones. Among the latter, two – Kinmen and Matsu – are archipelagoes so close to mainland China you can see the red stars on People’s Liberation Army caps on the opposite side.
Well, maybe only with a telescope, but you get the point. Pretty darn close. Locals will tell you that over the years, soldiers from one side would swim over to the other to carry out night- time attacks – though over the past two-plus decades things have quieted down markedly and front-line troop numbers have dramatically dropped.
Kinmen is across from southern Fujian Province, where the ancestors of most of Taiwan’s people came from. Taiwan proper is far behind, across the Taiwan Strait. Matsu is far to the north, Taiwan’s northernmost possession, across from a northern Fujian area called east Fujian in recognition of its distinctive dialect and cultural traditions. This is where the ancestors of Matsu’s permanent population came from. So you see how a Matsu visit takes you as far away from Taiwan as possible physically – and culturally – while still standing on Taiwan soil.
I had the great fortune to visit the Matsu islands for a second time just recently, with a Travel in
Taiwan team. My f irst trip was 10 years ago. Military control of Matsu was lif ted in 1992 (martial law was in effect in Taiwan
from the late 1940s until 1987), the Matsu National Scenic Area
was off icially launched in 1999, and since my
last visit there has been striking
progress in the tourism facil ities and the overall tourist experience.
You’ ll f ind your key Matsu impressions will be about the ubiquitous military fortif ications (many now tourist sites), dramatic seascapes, unique architecture and food, island-hopping, and birds, birds, birds. We savor the food in our accompanying “Eat” and “Buy” articles, and get busy with binoculars in a special birding piece.
All Aboard!Most visitors explore Beigan and Nangan, the two
main islands, whose shapes give them a map appearance resembling two oracle blocks cast upon the sea. If time allows, many take in remote Dongyin, the northernmost island, which offers Matsu’s most spectacular seascapes. It’s about two hours from Nangan by ferry. (In an informal poll during this visit among Matsu National Scenic Area personnel, Dongyin was the almost universal favorite.) Inter-island travel is by ferry; there’s also a helicopter service.
The quintessential Matsu travel experience includes an overnight Tai-Ma Ferry ride from Keelung, north of Taipei, to Dongyin and Nangan. The trip takes about 10 hours, arrival at the second port about 8 am. It’s eye-opening, and quite fun. You’re accompanied by hundreds – conscript soldiers, Matsu locals, tourists. The Keelung Harbor exit is thrill ing, famous mountainside Jiufen town twinkling far off, f ishing boats with lights ablaze gliding by, the galaxy of stars and shooting stars wonderful. On-board amenities are basic; most bring their own munchies. (Note: I f lew back to Taipei both trips, just 50 minutes.)
Stone Houses
Temples and Religion
FEATURE
Beach before Baxian Caves
Matsu of fers peace and quiet
T ianhou Temple close to Banli Beach
Qiaozi V i l lage on Beigan Is land
Statue of MazuP
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On my recent trip I was especially taken with the Luoshan Nature Trail, which doesn’t f it the inter-village mold. In the area behind Beigan Airport, it starts on a small mountain and ends far down on a narrow bare-rock promontory, ocean pounding rock below your feet on both sides. This is an old dead-end trail used by local oyster gatherers and f ishermen. Along the way, visit abandoned Stronghold No. 12 and the attractive War and Peace Memorial Park Exhibition Center (good English), with informative displays on Matsu’s modern mil itary history.
The Beihai Tunnel on Nangan is an extraordinary tunnel complex, a hidden port hewn from solid
granite, hacked out by conscripts in the 1960s armed with not much more than picks and tremendous willpower. Many forfeited their l ives in the effort. Gouged out of a mountainside, it f it 120 smaller-sized vessels.
The Andong Tunnel on Dongyin and Wusha Beihai Tunnel on Beigan also engender powerful emotions. The gates at the latter are gone, and the sea comes pounding in at both ends. Yes, it’s perfectly safe.
Close to Nangan’s Beihai Tunnel, the Iron Fort is both on and in a
rocky outcrop in a small bay. It once protected frogmen units. Narrow tunnels within lead to sniper slots, gun emplacements, sleeping quarters, and a kitchen. Outside, note the dog kennels. When tensions were high, PRC frogmen units staged night attacks, poisoning the guard dogs and taking human ears as trophies and proof of success. Many died this way over the years, here and elsewhere in Matsu.
Military Facilities
When the ROC military was pushed off the China mainland in the late 1940s, units dug in – l iterally – on many islands just off the coast. Matsu and Kinmen are those still held. You’ ll see clif f-side pillboxes, strongholds, and other facil ities everywhere, many now abandoned, many now tourist sites. Matsu, it’s said, has the world’s highest density of military tunnels and strongholds.
Seascapes and TrailsThe Matsu Islands are just tiny little specks in the ocean, small granite outcrops.
The stark beauty of these sharp-cut rock-hills bursting skyward from the ocean’s depths is of ten breathtaking. The National Scenic Area administration has been systematically developing a network of inviting walking trails, most following old inter-village routes over mountain or high up on coast-side slopes, generally well-shaded.
ENGLISH & CHINESE
Andong Tunnel 安東坑道
Beigan 北竿
Beihai Tunnel 北海坑道
Bishan 壁⼭山
Dongyin 東引
Iron Fort 鐵堡
Jiufen 九份
Keelung 基隆
Kinmen ⾦金⾨門
Luoshan Nature Trail 螺⼭山步道
Magang Mazu Temple ⾺馬港天后宮
Matsu (the islands) ⾺馬祖
Mazu (the goddess) 媽祖
Meizhou 湄洲
Nangan 南竿
Niujiao ⽜牛⾓角
Qinbi Village 芹壁聚落
Tai-Ma Ferry 臺⾺馬輪
Tianhou Temple 天后宮
War and Peace Memorial Park Exhibi- tion Center 戰爭和平紀念公園主題館
Wusha Beihai Tunnel 午沙北海坑道
Iron Fort
Military Tunnels
On the website of the Matsu National Scenic Area, at www.matsu-nsa.gov.tw (Chinese/Engl ish/Japanese versions) you’ ll f ind a wide range of information you’ ll need for v isiting the islands, including detail on f l ights to/f rom Ta iwan proper, ferr y ser v ice to/f rom Keelung, accommodations, taxi/van/scooter rental, v isitor centers, and more. On all ma jor islands (Nangan, Beigan, Dongyin, and Dong ju) there are visitor centers run by the National Scenic Area administration, where f r iendly staf f will provide you with travel information in print and mult imedia form. Travel information is also prov ided at the ferr y terminal at Nangan’s Fu’ao Harbor.
Matsu National Scenic Area
MATSU
I ron For t
Iron For t
Wusha Beihai Tunnel
Kayak ing in Beihai Tunnel
Monument close to entrance of Beihai Tunnel
On a terrace at Qinbi V i l lage
Luoshan Nature Trai l
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STAY
The three buildings have been systematically rebuilt, the walls torn down and reconstructed. Public sections are tiled; the café/restaurant f loor tile is originally from the roofs and smokehouse. The main building’s public area is f illed with antique furnishings, but the guestrooms have been given a rustic-yet-modern revamp. Fuzhou f ir sourced from Fujian is used extensively. There’s air-con, wall-mounted TVs, and bright, well-laid-out bathrooms with hot water instantly available, no phones in the guestrooms (but WiFi access). Light meals are provided at the café/restaurant (soothing, vista-rich alfresco dining!), including a traditional Matsu breakfast.
Fu Ren Guesthouse is in Xiwei Village on Nangan Island. There is a quaint café on the f irst f loor, with outdoor seating. The rooms are on the second f loor, reached from within by a steep, narrow ladder. The wood-theme, stone-walled facil ity is rustic, and very simple. There are two dorm-style areas on either side of a common area (one person NT$700, two people
NT$600 each, 3 and above NT$500 each; breakfast included). Each dorm area sleeps eight, but if you book any number under eight – including just yourself – you get the section to yourself. You sleep on tatami mats, and the bathroom facil ities are next door, i.e., down the ladder and out the door.
Niu Lan Homestay, in protected Niujiao Village, also on Nangan Island, is run by another Matsu returnee, Cao Er-lan, who always seems to be smiling. He decided to come back af ter his kids lef t the family ’s Taiwan nest. There are seven rooms (starting at NT$800 for one person, credit cards not accepted), in two buildings. In the larger, more modern two-f loor building, guests have a comfortable l iving room on each f loor. In the second building, of traditional cut-stone, are three guestrooms and two shared bathrooms (with showers). The outdoor area has inviting patio tables, barbecue facil ities, and a heart-warming temple and harbor view.
The surface look of an old Mediterranean village, the character of old East Fujian at the core. Inventive and inviting homestays are popping up in Matsu’s protected villages of old cut-stone dwellings. By Rick Charette
Don’t you agree that when traveling it is always more interesting to stay in a place that is
itself a work of living history? The traditional architecture of Matsu is unique in Taiwan, where the three-sided courtyard-style residence traditional to south Fujian in mainland China is the norm. In the past decade quality hotels have been opening on Matsu, but how in the world could you make the effort to travel to this lovely island group, with its unique socio-cultural background and its faraway feel, and not step back through Matsu time by staying at a place that is a protected heritage site? We give you three suggestions.
Around Taiwan, you f ind l ittle clusters of people who’ve lef t the big cities in search of new, non-mainstream l ifestyles – opening artsy restaurants and cafés in farm-quilted Yilan County, pretty homestays and arts & craf ts cafés along the laid-back east coast, and so on. Such folk are now cluster ing in Matsu as well, opening homestays
and cafés in the protected v illages. The owners I met on my recent tr ip were all f rom Taipei.
Chinbe No. 25 Guesthouse is on the lowest tier of slope-hugging Qinbi Village on Beigan Island, with an unfettered view of the beach below and mainland China beyond. It’s run by Sammi Chen, who lived here when a little girl. Her clan moved to Taipei when she was four, af ter Fujian f ishermen had almost tapped out local stocks. There are three separate buildings, containing 18 guestrooms in total (rates start at NT$2,900; breakfast included). One was her grandma’s home, one her father ’s, one the home of four male cousins. All the men were f ishermen. Sammi didn’t l ike family vacations here – walls would be crumbling, roofs leaking, the almost completely abandoned town was “spooky” at night, and there were soldiers everywhere. Look at the clif fs on either side of the beach and you’ ll see they’re hived with abandoned pillboxes.
CHINBE NO. 25 GUESTHOUSE (芹壁村25號)
Add: 25, Qinbi Village, Beigan Township (北竿鄉芹壁村25號)Tel: 08365-56280/0975-421-178Website: www.facebook.com.tw/chinbe25
Fu Ren Guesthouse (夫人民宿)Add: 40-1, Siwei Village, Nangan Township (南竿鄉四維村40-1號)Tel: 0836-25138/0932-260514Website: www.furen.com.tw (Chinese)
Niu Lan Homestay (牛嵐民宿)Add: 124, Niujiao Village, Nangan Township (南竿鄉⽜牛⾓角村124號)Tel: 0978-215-898Website: tour.matsu.idv.tw/hotel_niulan.php (Chinese)
Sammi Chen 陳惠娟 Cao Er-lan 曹爾嵐
ENGLISH & CHINESE
Niu Lan Homestay
Chinbe No. 25 Guesthouse
A Little Bit of Provence Off the China Coast
Chinbe No. 25
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One thing you’ ll quickly notice is that hongzao, or red yeast, is a favorite seasoning. Hongzao is the
dregs remaining from production of lao jiu, a rice-based liquor; private production remains common. Hongzao fried pork and sea eel are my favorites, the red-yeast coating sealing the natural juices inside. A second thing you’ ll notice is the distinctive local marine harvest: the thick sea eel mentioned, Buddha-hand clams, sea-helmet mollusks, razor clams, mussels, and even barnacles.
The streets before Beigan Airport have numerous tourist-
oriented retail outlets, and the terminal is two minutes on foot from the district’s edge, so you can leave your shopping to the last minute and avoid having to lug purchases around the islands.
Start at small yet spacious Xie He Foods (Master Fa), which specializes in famous Matsu snacks, condiments/seasonings, and alcohols. It makes many of these at its own facilities, and provides samples of the foods. Its best-selling items are turnip puffs, Matsu crunch, lotus crunch, and sweet-potato dumplings. The delicate, savory/sweet puffs, which contain white turnip, peanut, and honey plum, are traditionally the f inal course at Matsu weddings and other special occasions. Matsu crunch, all locals know, was so named in the early 1960s by late ROC president Chiang Ching-kuo when in Matsu conducting military inspections. Trying one, he happily described the sensation, and as locals will tell you, exclaimed: “Only in Matsu can you f ind such a delicious pastry!” It’s made by frying a f lour-and-egg mix, adding barley malt syrup, and then pressing.
If while in Matsu you become another fan of the fragrant red yeast widely used as a seasoning, buy a jar at Xie He for use in your own cooking. Another good idea is the robust rice vinegar, used by islanders both for cooking and as a medicinal ingredient. The attractive ceramic container is shaped like the traditional Matsu cut-stone houses, the spout serving as chimney.
A few doors down is the much larger Matsu Specialty Center, which stocks goods of
myriad kind, f loor to ceil ing – everything from cute Dongyin lighthouse key rings to the standard and special-issue
editions of Matsu’s iconic Tunnel 88 Kaoliang liquor, made from sorghum, and Matsu Laojiu l iquor, made from glutinous rice. Of course, a visit to the Matsu Distillery and Tunnel 88, both tourist draws, is highly recommended.
Finally, don’t forget that the well-known A-Po's Fish Noodle shop is in Tangqi, and you can buy take-home packages (see our "Eat" article).
DA ZHONG RESTAURANT (大眾飲食店)Add: 80, Matsu Village, Nangan Township (南竿鄉⾺馬祖村80號)Tel: 0836-22185
A-PO'S FISH NOODLE (阿婆魚麵)Add: 168, Tangqi Village, Beigan Township (北竿鄉塘岐村168號)Tel: 0836-56359
ENGLISH & CHINESE
“Only in Matsu can you find such a delicious pastr y!”
An iconic local restaurant that serves many Matsu specialties, open 36 years, is Da Zhong, in Matsu
Village on a tourist-oriented street l ined with eateries. The décor is simple – the food is king here, all else secondary. I recommend the hongzao fried rice and the noodle soup f lavored with Matsu laojiu. I specially recommend the mussels; Matsu locals eat theirs cold, marinated in a highly seasoned rice-wine sauce af ter cooking. I extra-specially recommend the “Matsu hamburger,” a hearty, chewy treat that one friend has noted could be a much-loved soul food in the southern U.S. You deep-fry a charcoal-baked, sesame-covered, bagel-l ike Jiguang bun – another Matsu specialty – slice it open, and stuff it with a savory f ill ing of fried egg, fat oysters, green onion, and other yummies. (I just made myself hungry typing this sentence out.)
Another iconic eatery is A-Po’s Fish Noodle, in Tangqi Village, in the tourist-
focused district fronting tiny Beigan Airport. “A-Po” means “granny.” Granny, in her 80s, still makes her sun-dried noodles by hand on-site, which you can watch. Matsu folk mix f ish paste right into the noodle dough, 60% Matsu eel or yellow croaker, 40% potato starch (not f lour). Buy her packaged noodles, or sit down for classic f ish noodles with wontons, seaweed, crab, and laojiu. I also much like the crispy deep-fried noodles, l ight as potato chips.
J iguang bun
EAT
Travel in Taiwan16
BUY
Travel in Taiwan17
ENGLISH & CHINESE
Chiang Ching-kuo 蔣經國
lotus crunch 蓮花酥/芙蓉酥
Matsu crunch ⾺馬祖酥
Matsu Distillery ⾺馬祖酒廠
Tunnel 88 Kaoliang liquor ⼋八⼋八坑道⾼高粱酒
XIE HE FOODS (MASTER FA) (協和食品行 [發師傅])Add: 229, Tangqi Village, Beigan Township (北竿鄉塘岐村229號)Tel: 0836-55236/0933-095-034Website: www.083655236.com.tw (Chinese)
MATSU SPECIALTY CENTER (台灣菸酒海產金銀買賣店)Add: 233, Tangqi Village, Beigan Township (北竿鄉塘岐村233號)Tel: 0836-55412
Fish noodle “A-Po”
Fish noodle soup
“Matsu hamburger ”
Deep -f r ied f ish noodles
The Unique Flavors of a
Remote Island Group
Suggestions for Picking
Up Local Specialties
Matsu cuisine is delectably distinct from what you find on tables elsewhere in Taiwan. Eastern Fujianese culinary traditions are followed, not the southern Fujianese traditions followed “down south,” and the unique seafood catch of the islands is highlighted. By Rick Charette
If on the hunt for Matsu take-home purchases, you’ve no better choice than Tangqi Village close to Beigan Airport. By Rick Charette
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