翟山坑道

Zhaishan Tunnel - Jhaishan Tunnel

Useful Information

Location:	Zhalshan, Jincheng Township, Kinmen County 893, Taiwan (R.O.C.). (24,3901040, 118,3192566)
Open:	All year daily 8:30-17. [2026]
Fee:	free. [2026]
Classification:	Secret Bunker
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:	L=101 m.
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Zhaishan Tunnel, Zhalshan, Jincheng Township, Kinmen County 893, Taiwan (R.O.C.), Tel: +886-82-313241.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1958	Second Taiwan Strait Crisis with the People’s Liberation Army, begin of construction .
1966	tunnel completed.
1986	tunnel abandoned.
07-NOV-1992	abolition of Battle Field Administration.

Description

翟山坑道 (Zhaishan Tunnel) is also sometimes called Zhalshan Tunnel or Jhaishan Tunnel. It is one of numerous military underground structures which were abandoned after the abolition of the Battle Field Administration in 1992 and is now used as a tourist site. After the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1958, there was a massive chance of a pending war between China and Taiwan, and as a result President Chiang Kai-shek of Taiwan ordered the construction of underground fortifications. The island of Greater Kinmen is a granite diapir, the granite is a quite massive and stable rock, and the island is located strategically off the coast. It seems numerous underground structures were created at that time. This tunnel was stretching for more than 450 m, with two interconnected, A-shaped tunnels. One of them was an underground waterway with an opening to the sea, which allowed a safe shelter for boats as well as sheltered and secret unloading of cargo. It was big enough for 42 small naval vessels. However, it was accessible only during high tide. But even before the end of the Cold War the country developed from authoritarianism to democracy. As a result some military projects were revalued and some expensive structures were shut down. This included Zhaishan Tunnel which was closed in 1986 and subsequently started to fill with sand.

The massive threat of China diminished with the end of the Cold War, and so in the early 1990s preserving national historic sites became more important. This historic view included the men and women who fought for Kinmen, and as a result the Zhaishan Tunnel became rather famous. The Ministry of Defense handed over to the Kinmen National Park to be restored and preserved, but still has full access and control over the tunnel in times of war and for conducting military exercises. The site became a quite famous tourist attraction and is frequently used as concert hall. This includes the annual Tunnel Music Festival, with classical music concerts and operas. The musicians and singers often perform from boats floating on the water.