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Updated Thursday, July 6, 2006 0:00 am TWN, By David Hsu, Special to The China Post

Matzu struggling to become a tourism destination

A small islet is just in front of Cinbi Village. Because it looks like a turtle, it is named Turtle Islet. Importantly, Cinbi village is the nearest place to mainland China. Visitors can easily see the land of China at the village.

Military facilities are the major resources to Matzu’s tourism industry. Many areas are now opened to tourists. Among the opened military facilities, the Beihai Tunnel (北海坑道) is a must-see site.

Beihai Tunnel is generally the first stop on tours of Nangan’s battlefield attractions. Outside the tunnel entrance stand several stone statues depicting army engineers with chisels and hammers - a memorial to those who painstakingly dug the tunnel defenses from the stone.

It is said that two infantry divisions, one engineering corps battalion, and a dumper truck (to haul out the rock) worked around the clock in three shifts to complete the project in 820 working days. Given the limited means of that time, the digging was accomplished through the use of explosives and human labor, leading to the loss of many soldiers’ lives. Before entering the tunnel itself, one passes a barricade wall inscribed with a coup-let that reads: “The sun and moon hang over the sea. Heaven and earth are embraced within this tunnel.”

Inside the tunnel, the first thing you see is a large space used to store ammunition and park vehicles. Further inside are two pairs of intersecting paths over the water. In former days, military boats could enter and exit the tunnel via a sluice gate, which has been closed since the opening of the tunnel to the public. The wall lamps cast a dim light that adds to the mysterious atmosphere of this place.

How to get there:

By airplane: board an airplane at Taipei Sungshan Airport (台北松山機場). There are 10 flights a day by Uni Airways Corp (立榮航空). The round trip ticket costs around NT$4,200. The flying time is about 50 minutes.

By ship: The Taima ship (台馬輪) serves between Matzu and Keelung Harbor everyday. The ship sets out from Keelung at 10:00 pm and arrives in Matzu at around 6:00 am. The ticket price (for one way) is between NT$600 -1200 per person. There are also small boat transports across islets.

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	When the airplane zooms down and approaches Matzu (馬祖), I saw several islets below through the airplane window. They do not look different and seem just like common islands that I have seen in Taiwan. However, when we touched down on the islands, I found that they are quite different... Enlarge Photo

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