Kinmen Photo Gallery - Shuitou

At the southwestern tip of Kinmen is Shuitou, a village with 700 years of history. Emigrants who left for Southeast Asia in the 19th and 20th centuries funded construction of many Western-style buildings, which co-exist with traditional Chinese structures. Still serving as a residential area today, residents were busy lining up on election day.

Jinshui Elementary School was established in 1932 thanks to support from emigrants in Indonesia. The village's Huang clan has always been keen on educating their young, formerly in temples and shrines.

Deyue Mansion was built in 1933 in response to rampant piracy in the region. With wealthy homes funded by the emigrant community, it attracted the pirates' attention. This type of defense tower became common in villages. Deyue Tower was funded by an emigrant in Indonesia to detect pirates before they landed.

This row of Fujian-style houses adjacent to Deyue Mansion houses many exhibits and showcases the simple elegance of the interiors.

Commercialism is fortunately not common here yet. Only the odd building here and there has been converted into shops or restaurants. However, many have become hotels catering to domestic tourists.

Water used to be a major problem on the island as residents relied on underground supplies. That changed in 2015 when Kinmen signed an agreement with neighbouring Fujian to import their water for 30 years, and the pipeline came into operation in 2018.

More temples sprinkle dot the landscape south of the village along the coast.

The elixir to longevity comes with 10 steps, including eating less meat and more fruits, less salt and more vinegar, and less driving and more walking.

The hexagonal Wentai Pagoda was built in 1387 as a navigational aid for ships.

The vast ocean awaits behind.

Nearby, a small museum in a historic building tells the story of Kaoliang Liquor.

Several historic gates have also survived the test of time and now traffic runs through it.