{Trip} Taiwan Travel -- Trip to MATSU, Day 3, NANGAN (馬祖南竿)
Third and last day of our recent trip to the islands of Matsu. We left Dongju Island and then spent half a day in Nangan, Matsu's largest island.
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Gear used for this video Camera: Panasonic Lumix GH4:
Lenses: PANASONIC LUMIX G X Vario Lens, 12-35mm:
PANASONIC LUMIX G Vario Lens, 100-300mm:
Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8:
Panasonic DMW-MS2:
Timeline (if you want to go directly to certain parts of the video)
00:20 Dapu Village, Dongju Island (東莒大埔聚落) 01:10 Mengao Harbor, Dongju Island (東莒猛澳港) 02:10 Stop at Xiju Island (西莒) 03:20 Fu'ao Harbor, Nangan Island (南竿福澳漁港) 03:30 Baimazunwang Temple (白馬尊王廟) 03:50 Niujiao Village (牛角聚落) 04:20 Niufengjing Temple (牛峰境廟) 04:40 Wulinggong Temple (五靈公廟) 06:40 Stronghold No. 12 (12據點) 07:30 Jinsha Village (津沙村) 12:00 Tiebao/Iron Fort (鐵堡) 15:20 Nangan Airport (南竿機場)
Hostel in Jinsha Happy Inn (津沙聚落(馬祖1青年民宿)) Tel: 0836-23-353 Add: No. 71, Jinsha Village, Nangan Township, Lienchiang County (連江縣南竿鄉津沙村71號) Website: (Chinese)
More info about Matsu:
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~- Also watch the latest video on this channel: {Trip} LALASHAN on the Northern Cross-Island Highway (北橫拉拉山) -~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
Travel in Taiwan (7/8, 2016) By Rick Charette
Nangan Matsu’s largest island, Nangan is its cultural and political/administrative hub, and a very busy place compared to the rest of the archipelago.
Niujiao Village in Nangan’s northeast, once again flourishing, was one of the first to undergo a renaissance. Note how the homes’ granite blocks are in two shades, yellow and blue. The yellow are from Matsu, blue from Fujian; as a rough rule, blue meant you were more prosperous. Wulinggong Temple, above Niujiao’s harbor, has the bright orange-red exterior seen on many local temples. The color symbolizes flames; since already “on fire,” why would real fire need to visit? As with many homes, exaggerated vertical eaves are also supposed to help block sparks from nearby fires. A 10-minute walk along the pathway that starts behind the temple takes you to the tip of the cape here, which is occupied by Stronghold No. 12 – not quite abandoned, for its two-floor command post/quarters has been “occupied” by “Thornbirds Book & Café,” an indie enterprise of great character that serves up splendid views of hilly Beigan to the north. The building is attached to such a steep rock face that you feel you’re hovering over the water rather than beside it. Picturesquely filling up a mountain-backed niche of flat land behind a sheltered cove, compact, narrow-laned Jinsha Village in Nangan’s southwest is another imperial-era settlement now breathing strongly again, with new homestays and shops opening. One example is funky Matsu 1st Hostel, where cheap, cubicle-style single- and double-person rooms are offered. Housed in a true Matsu rarity, one of its east Fujian-style courtyard residences, beautifully restored, it’s one of four Nangan/Beigan youth-oriented homestays run by local entrepreneur Eddy Chuang (matsuhostel.com; Chinese). The Iron Fort east of Jinsha Village, both on and inside a rocky outcrop in a small bay, once protected frogmen units. Narrow tunnels within lead to sniper slots, gun emplacements, quarters, and a kitchen. Outside, note the dog kennel. When tensions were high, PRC frogmen units staged night attacks, poisoning the guard dogs and taking human ears as trophies and proof of success. Many died in such lightning attacks over the years, here and elsewhere in Matsu.
Nangan's Iron Fort (Matsu Islands, Taiwan)
One of the most impressive military sites is the abandoned Iron Fort (Tiebao) / 鐵堡, a rocky strip of coral jutting out over the sea and hollowed out to house Matsu Islands' / 馬祖群島 / 马祖列岛 amphibious forces.
The coastline on the west of Renai Village, which in the old days was known as Tiebao, was garrisoned for many years by elite amphibious frogman units. A coral stone projection that juts into the sea to the southwest was made into a stronghold for the frogmen. The coral stone was hollowed out and covered with cement, painted with camouflage colors, and topped with grass-green camouflage net. Inside the tunnels are stone rooms, gun ports, cannon batteries, a toilet, and a kitchen, among other facilities, all packed into this small sea-defense fortification. To discourage a sneak attack by communist frogmen in years gone by, glass fragments were embedded in the surface of the coral rock. Iron Fort was the only fortification to have a dog with a military rank.