In February, 2025, Tokyo University’s Trilingual Program (led by Professor Tomoko Ako) and Kyushu University’s Taiwan Studies Program jointly organised a field trip to Taiwan. A total of around 30 students participated, visiting various sites in and around Taipei as well as Kinmen Island off the coast of mainland China. Still ruled from Taiwan as part of the ‘Republic of China’, Kinmen was for decades heavily fortified and occupied by thousands of ROC soldiers. Today, most soldiers have gone, and visitors can wander through abandoned tunnels and fortifications across the island. The island’s villages, many of which today stand largely abandoned or depopulated, also bear witness to the history of ties between Kinmen (as well as neighbouring regions of coastal Fujian) and overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia.
At a command post within the military tunnel complex, Kinmen Island
Tunnel diorama, Kinmen
War Memorial, Kinmen
Battle-damaged building, Kinmen
Mural of military life, Kinmen
Site of a former military brothel, Kinmen
Kinmen’s coastal defences, with the Xiamen cityscape beyond
Restored overseas Chinese mansion, Kinmen
Temple door, Kinmen
A narrow village alley, Kinmen
Worshippers at the Lungshan Temple, Taipei
Professor Vickers with a group of students in the historic Dadaosheng district, Taipei