KINMEN, Taiwan (Reuters) – In Kinmen, Taiwan, less than an hour by boat from the Chinese cities of Xiamen and Quanzhou, bar owner Powei Lee draws crowds by mixing the small island’s battle-scared past into cocktails.
During the height of the Cold War, Chinese and Taiwanese forces clashed regularly over Kinmen – then known mainly in English as Quemoy – and other Taipei-controlled islets along the coast of China.
Although today Kinmen is a fashionable tourist destination, attracting visitors to see its endangered otters and natural beauty, it is back in the news after China last week included areas around the island for its latest war games near Taiwan.
Kinmen native Lee’s cocktails at his Vent Bar showcase the unique flavor of Kinmen, like the local fire water, Kaoliang, made with sorghum grown on the island.
Lee, 31, designed a cocktail inspired by an extensive propaganda campaign that followed the 1958 fighting, when Taiwanese forces defended themselves from a Chinese attack on Kinmen, the closest point of which is just about 2 km away (1, 2 miles) from China.
Called “Pick and Eat”, the cocktail is made with soy milk, ginger and whiskey, topped with cookies.
“At that time, both sides were releasing propaganda leaflets, each trying to show that their side was doing better and urging the other to surrender,” he told Reuters.
“One of the things they did besides flyers was send out supplies like snacks and food, to show that people were well fed.”
Taiwan has controlled Kinmen and the Matsu Islands further up the coast since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taipei in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong’s communists. No peace treaty was signed.
Former bunkers, many now open to visitors, still dot Kinmen, where about 100,000 people live, and Taiwan’s military maintains a substantial presence.
“I want them (visitors) to be able to take away something even more meaningful than just typical souvenirs. If they truly feel that connection to the land and understand the stories behind it, that will be the best memory they can have from their time here in Kinmen,” said Lee.
These visitors may be Taiwanese or from elsewhere – but they are usually not Chinese. Regular post-pandemic Chinese tourism to Taiwan has yet to resume, amid disputes between Beijing and Taipei.
Life on Kinmen continued normally during last week’s drills, residents said, and flights to and from Taiwan’s main island were not disrupted.
As for the potential for conflict, Lee expressed hope that he would not see a war.
“The pandemic has already been very disruptive and a real war would be much worse,” he said.
(Reporting by Reuters; writing by Ben Blanchard; editing by Christopher Cushing)
