On the front line of Taiwan’s front line with China: A cautious opening to tourists

DADAN, Taiwan – It fought off a People’s Liberation Army attack in 1950, got a starring role in a Taiwanese TV invasion drama in 2025 and continues to be a site of security intrigue, precariously perched by the Chinese coast and armed to the teeth by Taiwan.

But Taiwan’s government now wants to show a different side to tiny Dadan island, known for its isolation and just 4km from China’s Xiamen, and let in tourists, albeit on tightly controlled tours and generally only for Taiwan citizens.

For years a closed military site, Dadan was first opened for tourists in 2019. Trips were suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic, and it fully re-opened in 2024, with about 25,000 people visiting since then.

Dadan is part of Kinmen, controlled by Taiwan since 1949 when the defeated Republic of China government fled Mao Zedong’s forces and relocated its capital to Taipei.

“Visiting Dadan is about experiencing the spirit (of being on the island), which is of hardship and resilience. It’s a tough journey. The facilities may not be great, but it is an absolute immersive experience,” Mr Hsu Chi-hsin, Kinmen County Government Tourism Bureau director, told Reuters.

Dotted with underground bunkers, Dadan is best known for a 20m-long slogan painted in red characters and directly facing Xiamen.

Reading “Reunify China with the Three Principles of the People” – the political philosophy of Sun Yat-sen, who founded the Republic of China and overthrew the Qing Dynasty in 1911 – it is Dadan’s top tourist attraction.

Mr Hsu Yu-hua, visiting from Taiwan’s chip hub of Hsinchu, said going to Dadan, which is less than 1 sq km in size, gave a real sense of conflict.

“As someone who has served in the military, my impression is that being stationed here (Dadan) back then must have been incredibly tough and exhausting. It also gives me a real sense of tension between Taiwan and China at the time,” he said.

Chinese coast guard ships regularly enter Kinmen’s waters, to Taiwan’s anger, which sends its own ships to chase them away.

In 2025, Dadan made an appearance in Taiwan television show Zero Day Attack – which imagines a Chinese invasion – though in the featured episode Dadan’s defenders beat off China, much as happened in real life in 1950.

Kinmen’s government hopes that by visiting, tourists can come away with some optimism about the future, despite the ongoing tensions between Taipei and Beijing. 

“Through opening Dadan for tourism, it is a symbol of peace. The past is history. It’s behind us. And what we have is a better future. Through restoring the military camps, we hope to pass on the spirit, a universal value: peace,” Mr Hsu said. REUTERS