Lieyu

Lieyu 烈嶼鄉 Liehyu, Lieh Hsu
Rural township
Monument to the August 23 Artillery Battle at the junction of Hupu Road and Jiujing Road
Lieyu Township (blue) in Kinmen County (grey)
Lieyu Location in the Republic of China (Taiwan)
Coordinates: 24°25′41″N118°14′06″E / 24.42806°N 118.23500°E / 24.42806; 118.23500
Country	Taiwan (Republic of China)
County	Kinmen (Quemoy)
Established	1949
Rural villages	5
Government
•  Mayor	Hung Juo-Shan (洪若珊)
Area [1]
• Total	17.155 km2 (6.624 sq mi)
Population  (February 2023)
• Total	12,738
• Density	740/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (National Standard Time)
Website	lieyu.kinmen.gov.tw

Lieyu Township (Liehyu) (Chinese : 烈嶼 鄉 ; pinyin: Lièyǔ Xiāng; Hokkien POJ: Lia̍t-sū-hiong) is a rural township in Kinmen County (Quemoy), Fujian Province, Republic of China (Taiwan). It consists mainly of three islands located to the west of Greater Kinmen and immediately to the east of Xiamen (Amoy) of the People's Republic of China: Lesser Kinmen (Chinese:小金門; Pīnyīn: Xiǎojīnmén), Dadan, and Erdan. ^[2]

Name

According to tradition, Greater Kinmen/Kinmen Island and Lesser Kinmen/Lieyu were originally one island. Lieyu was split-off (裂lie) from Kinmen Island, hence the name Lieyu. ^{[3] [4]}

History

Xiamen City (bottom), Kinmen (left), Lesser Kinmen / Lieyu (center of photograph) and surrounding islands

View from the south shore of Lieyu (Lesser Kinmen): Center is Fuxing Islet; right side are Donggang Bay & Peninsula, Donglin Shore; left side are Nanshantou & Shaxi Capes; far left in background is Xiamen with Binlang and Shi Islets in between

Map including Lesser Kinmen/Lieyu (1869)

External image
Declassified nuclear strike plan shows subtle strategic geography significance among Kinmen Islets

The first people arrived from the Central Plains of China during the Tang dynasty and quickly developed the island. The population quickly multiplied. During the Tang dynasty, a horse pasture was set up on the island. During the Song dynasty, a salt works was constructed. During the Ming dynasty, a frontier command was constructed. During the Qing dynasty, a garrison was sent to protect against Japanese pirates.

WWII monument of 7 martyrs fending a fortress of Great Wall of China in 1933, built in 1966

On July 26, 1950, ROC forces on the Dadan Island (Tatan), in total 298 soldiers, repulsed an attack (大擔島戰役) from a People's Liberation Army force of 700 soldiers that landed on the island. ^{[5] [6]}

In January 1985, eight Chinese fishermen from a stranded boat were executed on Shi Islet by military orders. ^{[7] [8]}

Donggang Bay, Lieyu Island, was the site of 1987 Lieyu Massacre, where nineteen or more Vietnamese refugees were killed on March 7, 1987 by the ROC armed force. ^{[9] [10]}

Geography

Map including Lieyu (Lesser Kinmen) (labelled as Lieh Hsü (Little Quemoy)) (AMS, 1954)

See also: List of islands of Taiwan § Kinmen

View from north shore of Lieyu: near mid-left is Binlang Islet on low tide; Xiamen City on the background

The island of Lesser Kinmen is situated outside the mouth of mainland China's Jiulong River and inside Xiamen's harbor^{[ citation needed ]}. The distance from mainland China at the closest point is only about 5,000 m (16,000 ft) and is located in a very strategic position.

Lieyu Township includes numerous islands and islets. ^[11] Some of the larger among those islands and islets include: ^[12]

• Lesser Kinmen (Hsiao Kinmen, Lieyu; 小金門, 烈嶼)
• Dadan Island (大膽島) (5 km (3.1 mi) to the southwest of Lesser Kinmen)
• Erdan Island (二膽島) (6 km (3.7 mi) to the southwest of Lesser Kinmen)
• Sandan, Sidan, and Wudan ^[13]
• Fuxing Islet (Fuhsing Islet; Phaktia) ( 復興 嶼 )
• Menghu Islet (Tiger Island) ( 猛虎 嶼 )
• Shi Islet (Lion Islet) ( 獅 嶼 )
• Binlang Islet ('Areca Nut Islet') ( 檳榔 嶼 )

Administrative divisions

Lieyu Township Office

Lieyu Township is divided into five rural villages: ^{[2] [14] [15] [16]}

• Linhu Village (林湖村)
• Shangqi/Shangchi Village (上岐村)
• Xikou/Sikou Village (西口村)
• Huangpu Village (黃埔村)
• Shanglin Village (上林村)

Politics

The government of the People's Republic of China claims Kinmen County (Jinmen County in pinyin ) as part of Quanzhou City in its own Fujian province.

Infrastructure

• Xihu Reservoir

Tourist attractions

• Bada Tower
• Dadan Island
• Erdan Island
• Hujingtou Battle Museum
• Jiugong Tunnel
• Landmine Museum
• Lieyu Township Culture Museum
• Lingshui Lake

Transportation

Water

The township houses one ferry pier named Jiugong Pier which sails to Shuitou Pier in Jincheng Township, Greater Kinmen Island. ^[17]

Road

Since 2022, Lieyu Township is connected to Jinning Township in Greater Kinmen Island by Kinmen Bridge. ^[18]

See also

• List of islands of Taiwan

References

1. 行政面積. 金門縣政府民政處 Civil Affairs Department, Kinmen County Government (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 29 January 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2019. 行政區 面積（單位：平方公里）{...}烈嶼鄉 16.003{...}大膽 0.7900 二膽 0.2800{...}復興嶼 0.0500 猛虎嶼 0.0250 獅嶼 0.0070
2. "History". Lieyu Township Village Administration, Kinmen. 9 July 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019. Also known as the "Little Kinmen," Lieyu is located southwest to Kinmen island and between Kinmen and Amoy.{...}Our township's districts include Linhu, Huangpu, Sikou, Shanglin, and Shangchi,
3. 歷史沿革. 金門縣烈嶼鄉公所 Lieyu Township Village Administration, Kinmen County (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 28 July 2017. Archived from the original on 25 August 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019. 金門民間傳說烈嶼和大金門本是相連，沒有過海，和大金門的水頭有數公尺之土地相連帶。後有一仙人眼見船隻軍要轉來轉去才能轉進港，非常麻煩，就說：「這條港路上的半島，該讓她(離嶼)去，讓出這條港路，好交通船」。金口一開，烈嶼那塊島慢慢裂開，一直開離大金門所以叫「烈嶼」久而久之，就叫成了「烈嶼」。（金門民間傳說）
4. Lin 2018, p. 16.
5. Lin Ma-Teng 林馬騰 (July 2009). 秘島：大二膽的秘境秘史 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 林馬騰文史工作室. pp. 11, 19–20. ISBN   978-957-41-6438-7.
6. "Islet Dadan". Archived from the original on 2012-03-16. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
7. Shi, Wen-jie (29 October 2013). "時論－一封永遠無法寄達的家書" [Commentary - A home letter never been delivered] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Taipei: China Times. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
8. Gao, Yong-cheng (13 July 2022). "111司調0025 調查報告" [2022 Justice Investigation Report No. 0025] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Taipei: Control Yuan . Retrieved 7 August 2022.
9. Hau, Pei-tsun (1 January 2000). 八年參謀總長日記 [8-year Diary of the Chief of the General Staff (1981–1989)] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Taipei: Commonwealth Publishing. ISBN   957-621-638-9.
10. Guan, Ren-jian (1 September 2011). 你不知道的台灣 國軍故事 [The Taiwan you don't know: Stories of ROC Arm Forces] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Taipei: Puomo Digital Publishing. ISBN   978-957-663-649-3 . Retrieved 20 October 2022.
11. 金門縣行政區域圖 . Retrieved 9 August 2019. 烏礁 桂子礁 獅嶼 牛心礁 小擔 檳榔嶼 烈嶼 復興嶼 猛虎嶼 兔嶼 石山 大膽島 二擔島 三擔島 四擔島 五擔
12. 金門縣土地段名代碼表 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Department of Land Administration. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2019. 地政事務所名稱(代碼) 金門(WA) 鄉鎮市區名稱(代碼) 烈嶼鄉(05){...}段 小段 代碼 備註{...}大膽 0251 二擔 0252 更正 復興嶼 0253 猛虎嶼 0254 獅嶼 0255
13. Lin 2018, p. 17.
14. 烈嶼行政村. 金門縣烈嶼鄉公所 Lieyu Township Village Administration, Kinmen County (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 12 June 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019. 全鄉分為林湖村、上岐村、上林村、西口村、黃埔村，共五個行政村，
15. "2018 Local Elections". Central Election Commission . Retrieved 9 August 2019. Shangqi Vil. Shanglin Vil. Xikou Vil. Linhu Vil. Huangpu Vil.
16. 107年地方公職人員選舉 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Central Election Commission . Retrieved 9 August 2019. 上岐村 上林村 西口村 林湖村 黃埔村
17. Huang, Huei-min; Yen, William (14 January 2019). "Kinmen and Xiamen to hold joint fireworks for Lunar New Year". Focus Taiwan. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
18. "President Ma: Construction of Kinmen Bridge Signifies Kinmenese Hope" 馬總統：大橋興建代表金門人民希望 (in Chinese (Taiwan) and English). Translated by Wilson Chou. Kinmen Daily News. 24 January 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2019. President Ma explained the reason for building a bridge linking Kinmen and Lieyu (Little Kinmen) as follows: With the resident population of Lieyu Township being only between 2000-3000, transportation is not the primary reason. With what the central government most concerned is Kinmen's status in the overall cross-strait relation and its competition with Xiamen. He believed that with the completion of the construction, Kinmen Bridge will become a marvelous tourist landmark in Kinmem[ sic ]. 馬總統說，烈嶼鄉的常住人口不過兩、三千人，蓋橋除了考量大、小金門的交通，最主要是看重金門在整個兩岸關係的地位，以及未來面對廈門的競爭。他相信，金門大橋的興建，將成為金門觀光的絕佳地標。

Further reading

• Lin, Chih-Pin (林志斌) & Hung Ching-Chang (洪清漳) (2018), 烈嶼西方甲傳奇:佛祖上帝公庇佑的子民, ISBN   978-986-05-8121-8
• Lin Ma-Teng (林馬騰), (2016). 古韻今輝 烈嶼上林鄉社史. ISBN   978-986-05-0424-8

External links

• Kinmen County Government official website (in Chinese)