Matsu

After a perilous cross-straight journey, we arrived in Matsu, Fujian Province in time for the rising sun. Thereafter, we landed at the southern harbor and made way to the Iron Fort and the Stronghold of the Great Han, “Dahan.” Matsu is a bulkward of the Republic of China against our communist kin in the mainland. Here, men-at-arms are send to garrison the fortresses of the island and safeguard the freedom and peace of the Middle Kingdom. The battlements of Dahan have long since been abandoned and no longer serve as a deterrent against amphibious assault, however, their guns remain as a reminder of the ever-present threat that lies across the straits in mainland Fujian. The Iron Fort was hewn from the rock of the island by the hands of thousands of conscripts and served as an underground harbor from which provisions and munitions could be safely unloaded and stored for purposes of the national defense. Today, the Iron Fort is sealed from the sea and the caverns therein are used for kayaking in the dark.

After visiting the Iron Fort and the Stronghold, we visited the 88 Tunnels in which the Kaoliang wines are brewed and aged. A short walk from which we partook of traditional Matsu seafood. The meal consisted of mussels, oysters, fish, clams, and shrimp. Thereafter, we traveled by boat to our lodgings at Qin-bi in northern-most Matsu over looking mainland Fujian and the strait.