Yongshi and Tiehan Forts are twin fortifications on Xiao Kinmen that are connected by subterranean tunnels. It’s just one of many old military installations-turned-tourist attractions that you can find all over Kinmen and its smaller neighbour.
Distance: Pretty much exactly 1 kilometres.
Time: 30 minutes.
Difficulty: 1/10 – This is a very easy walk.
Total ascent: Almost negligible.
Water: A small bottle will suffice.
Shade: The outside sections are mostly quite exposed.
Mobile network: Clear outside of the tunnels.
Enjoyment: There are several such forts with tunnels all over Kinmen and Little Kinmen. I’m not sure if this one has anything to make it stand out over the other ones, but if you visit Kinmen then you ought to pay a visit to at least one of these.
Other: The tunnels include a section of (very loosely) simulated land mine explosions. It includes the sound of artillery fire, as well as flashing lights, so if you have sensitivities to either of those, you might want to sit this one out.
Route type: Loop
Permit: None needed but there is now a small fee (NT$40) to enter the fort and tunnel system.
Jump to the bottom of this post for a trail map and GPX file.
It took us a while to figure out that although Yongshi and Tiehan Forts are listed separately on the map, they are in fact all part of the same site. The latter can only be accessed by walking through tunnels from the former.
A gently sloping ramp leads up to the entrance of Yongshi Fort. I got a fright from the statues of uniformed officers ensconced in the guard huts to either side of the path.
Before you enter the tunnels, head up the steps straight ahead for a view of Xiaman–a Chinese island about the same size as Kinmen.
At this location, a terribly narrow strip of the South China Sea separates Taiwan from China. It feels strange. Shi Islet, a tiny mass of rock between the two has a Taiwanese flag painted on the Taiwan-facing side of the rock. Maybe to reassure the citizens looking at it.
The entrance to the tunnel network is narrow, but the one way system and the obvious light just a short way away helped to assuage any stirrings of claustrophobia that I might otherwise have felt. In fact, I felt entirely fine the whole time I was in these tunnels (the same couldn’t be said for those at Shaxi Fort).
We stepped out to see what was through the doorway and found nothing much save for a toilet block and some pretty purple flowers.
It’s hard to photograph the vision discombobulation of knowing that you’re walking downhill and deeper into the earth, but without having any visual clues to confirm it. Where there were steps, it was easy to tell, but the sloping sections felt strange to walk through.
When it starts to climb up again, the tunnel widens and becomes a gallery dedicated to all things land mine-related. There’s lots of information about land mine technology, as well as the problems they have caused globally.
A map details all of the land mines that have either exploded or been pulled from the earth around Kinmen, and a gruesome wall of metalwork displays lots of types of mines.
There’s even one quite unpleasant section where the authorities managing the forts have placed gravel and fake land mines on the ground, and you have to walk through, accompanied by flashing lights and the sounds of explosions. I cannot say it was my favourite part of the experience.
Light at the end of the tunnel… almost
What I thought was the exit turned out to be a continuation of the tunnel with more installations in the side rooms. Weaponry on the left and mine-detection equipment on the right. These guys are quite creepy in their austere concrete cell, and I do not envy the person who has to go through turning off the lights at night.
When the steps finally climbed out into daylight once more, we found ourselves on top of Tiehan Fort, right next to an anti-aircraft gun.
You can wander around the fort-turned gardens, or head straight for the exit.
Once you’re outside, take a right turn and head straight, pass a taro dessert shop, and you’ll find yourself right back where you started.
How to get to Yongshi and Tiehan Forts.
Google Maps address: The walk starts and finishes in Huangcuo Village. There is space to park at the entrance to Yongshi Fort.
GPS location: N24 26.830 E118 15.110
Public transport: You can catch a bus from Jincheng to and from Yongshi Fort. There are a couple of options. The 15A runs from National Kinmen Advanced High School to Huangcuo bus stop and from there its’s just a short walk to the forts. Alternatively, the 15 and 15B go from Jincheng Institute of Health and arrive at the same spot.
Yongshi and Tiehan Forts Map
GPX file available here on Outdoor Active. (Account needed, but the free one works just fine.)
Taiwan Trails and Tales 