Kinmen Military Headquarters of the Qing Dynasty
清金門鎮總兵署Updated：2019-11-15
4503
Highlights
It's the first stop on the free Houpu Walking Tour (conducted in Mandarin Chinese)
There's a tourist information office and toilets.
Don't miss the old gigantic red silk cotton tree in the back. It blooms in Feb, Mar and Apr, but is impressive all year round!
Most of the rooms have exhibits, all relating to the building's past, on a myriad of interesting topics.
The building itself is an experience! Its original Qing Dynasty layout has been well-preserved.
Introduction
There's been a building here for more than 4 centuries. At first, it was the study of Xu Xie, a local scholar who in 1601, passed the Ming Dynasty's highest imperial examination.
Then, in the late 1600s, in light of ongoing turmoil across the waters, and the dense population of Houpu (the old town of Jincheng), this site became a military headquarters. Its political importance continued even after Kinmen became a county in 1915. Before being designated an historic monument, this building accommodated several government entities, including the County Government and the Dept of Defense.
You feel like you've entered a time capsule at some of the rooms…Realistic wax figures and period furnishings give you a feel for life back in the day.
The giant red silk cotton tree in the back is the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia. It's really a sight to behold!
Exhibits
There's so much to learn and see at this museum!
- how Kinmen defended itself in its early days;
- stories about renowned Kinmen people from the Qing Dynasty period;
- social customs and values of the day;
- beautifully crafted wooden models of Qing Dynasty era boats;
- what constituted a crime, and how people were punished;
- an exquisite architectural model of the original building;
- Qing Dynasty era weapons.
Information
TEL +886-82-371717
Address No.53, Wujiang Street, Jincheng Township, Kinmen County Taiwán, R.O.C
Opening Hours Sunday:09:00 – 22:00
Monday:09:00 – 22:00
Tuesday:09:00 – 22:00
Wednesday:09:00 – 22:00
Thursday:09:00 – 22:00
Friday:09:00 – 22:00
Saturday:09:00 – 22:00
Facilities
- Toilets
- Guiding Service
- Wifi
Recommended length of visit
Nearby K-Bike Station
Directions
98 Reviews Write a Review619jeffry
Essendon, Australia
Museum has absorbing story to tell
2021-01For many years, Kinmen was ruled from China. This museum was adapted to varied purposes, including a jail. Most prominently, it was the military headquarters in the Qing dynasty. It has a spreading banyan tree, and also a very tall ceibu tree. The museum has wax representations of historical figures connected to the museum, with English captions. By the way, the basement has a recreation of the jail, where prisoners were tortured to extract confessions.CoopTW
Taipei, Taiwan
Great for History buffs
2019-03With hundreds of years of history to tell, they do a good job of condensing it into what can be a hour or two of walking through the various buildings and reading the stories - in Chinese and English - which basically lay out what went on here since the beginning of migration from China to Kinmen. For those less interested in reading all the stories, the visual presentation is still informative and basically leads one through from the earlier times up to the more recent history of the site. The use of wax figures adds interest, and be sure to see the basement jail. For the nature lovers in your group who reluctantly "came along" to see this historical site, take them to the very back to see the nearly 24M tall "Cotton Tree", which is well over 100 years old. If you are there in the Spring, you're in for a treat with the beautiful orange blossoms.JohnTraveller8
Sydney, Australia
Traveler type:
Friends getaway
The Court system of the Qing Dynasty era - realistically presented
2018-10Kinmen island is easily reached via a one hour flight from Taipei's Songshan airport in downtown Taipei. Kinmen island contains both historical sites and heritage like villages where all individuals in each village have the SAME surname. One of the must see sites is the Court System of the Qing Dynasty(ruled China for over 400 years) within the Military Headquarters of the Qing Dynasty. This site has three sections: 1. The Court itself which is both interesting and historical. 2. One level below is the Qing Dynasty prison which is realistically presented - an actual replica. 3. See parts of the layout of the Military Headquarters There is available an English brochure with some explanation. An interesting place to visit and to appreciate a little of the history of one of the most successful Dynasties of China.DavidASU
Union City, California
Traveler type:
Friends getaway
Nice Historic Spot
2018-09It was a Qin dynasty Government to rule the town. The building was rebuilt to mimic the original one. The tree in the four yard is quite interesting to have a branch connecting two trees. The basement has a prison with the introduction of five most used tortures back then to force suspects to commit crimes.thelonious22
Seongnam
Traveler type:
Solo travel
Nice historical site
2018-09Military Governor’s Office was the most noticeable non-modern day military related building. As with all other attractions in Kinmen, entrance was free and each section had a good display about what the complex was used for during the Qing Dynasty era in English.
1-98 Reviews
All ReviewsThis review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of Kinmen County Government and TripAdvisor LLC.
