Kinmen Travel

Only 4,400 meters from Xiamen, Dadan Island has been dubbed "the mystery battlefield". A restricted area for decades, it opened for tourism in April 2019

Dadan Harbor
A 20-30min ferry ride from Little Kinmen, the first thing you see are large signs with morale-boosting slogans. For example, "Bold Burden" and "The Island Is Not Alone"

Shengming Road
One of Dadan's striking features is its lion statues. Altogether, there are 1,473!  636 of them are here on this 500-meter roadway.

Bei An Temple
Isolated on a dangerous island, it's not surprising that deities featured in Dadan soldiers' lives. Located next to the Holy Rooster Grave, Bei An Temple is dedicated to the Supreme Emperor of Dark Heavens. It was enshrined by a soldier who found the deity's sculpture drifting across the Strait.

Dadan Psychological Warfare Wall
Dadan is best known for its psychological warfare wall. Built in 1986, the 3.2 meter tall, 20-meter long wall covered with military slogans is a top-rated tourist attraction in Mainland China. From the observation deck, you can see people there through high-powered binoculars!

Dadan Broadcasting Station
This was originally established in the 1950s, and expanded in 1969. It could generate sound waves that reached listeners 20 kilometers away. Following a trail uphill, you come to a speaker wall similar to the main island of Kinmen's Beishan Broadcasting Wall.

Beishan Flag Tower
The view from the top of the hill at the broadcasting station is the best on the island. You can see several other smaller islands as well as Xiamen.


Dadan Holy Spring
This well was crucial to the livelihoods of the military personnel stationed on the island. Legend has it that it appeared after the famous Chinese general Zheng Chenggong inserted his sword in the ground here. 5 taboos were connected with this well water: It wasn’t to be used for doing laundry or cooking, hair-washing, showering or slaughtering animals. Some thought it was bad luck for women to approach the well at all!


Holy Spring Tea House
This teahouse was built in 1991 so that prominent government officials visiting Dadan had a place to relax. Calligraphy done by some of them and commemorative photos of them decorate the walls. The wood in the building was locally sourced from horsetail trees on Dadan Island.

You must register for a group tour in order to visit Dadan Island. To understand the registration process (which is all in Chinese), feel free to ask your Kinmen accommodation host to help.