[War & Business] Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor

The appearance of Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor, known as a major specialty product of Jinmen Island. [Image source=Taiwan Kinmen Island Tourism Bureau website/https://kinmen.travel]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] 'Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor,' known as the representative alcohol of Taiwan, is produced on Kinmen Island, a border area between Taiwan and China, boasting a high alcohol content of 58 degrees. During the 2015 meeting between former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Chinese side presented Maotai as China's representative liquor, while Taiwan offered Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor, symbolizing reconciliation and cooperation between the two sides.

However, this liquor was actually born not from reconciliation but amid conflict between the two sides. It originated in the trenches during the 'Kinmen Bombardment' in 1958, when hundreds of thousands of artillery shells were exchanged between China and Taiwan. After the Korean War ended, the border dispute between China and Taiwan, which began in 1954, escalated into a fierce 44-day artillery battle on Kinmen Island in 1958. Amid bombardments that sometimes reached 60,000 shells per day, the Taiwanese military provided soldiers with strong liquor exceeding 60 degrees to boost morale. This liquor was commercialized for civilians as Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor. Despite being at a military disadvantage, Taiwan successfully defended Kinmen Island, maintaining its national identity, and this liquor became a symbol of Kinmen.

Originally, Kinmen Island was located at the gateway from the Taiwan Strait to Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province. It was a fortress built during the Ming Dynasty to block Japanese pirates from advancing to Fuzhou. The name 'Kinmen (金門)' means 'Golden Gate,' symbolizing an ironclad defense. Fierce battles also took place there during the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 when Japan invaded China.

What made this island globally famous was the 30 years of conflict between China and Taiwan from 1949 after the Chinese Civil War until 1979. The Taiwanese government turned the entire Kinmen Island into a massive fortress, installing major command centers and defense bases underground. Despite numerous provocations by the Chinese military over 30 years, the island was never captured. Today, it serves as a living security education site for Taiwan and the world, as well as Taiwan's frontline base.

This year, Kinmen Island has witnessed the sharpest tensions between the two sides since the US-China diplomatic normalization in 1979. On August 23, William Brent Christensen, head of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), attended the Kinmen Bombardment memorial ceremony with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, marking the first time a US representative participated, which greatly provoked China. Following this, the US government announced plans to sell various advanced weapons to Taiwan, prompting the Chinese government to accuse the US of executing a 'Taiwan fortress' operation. Subsequently, major missile forces were redeployed to Kinmen Island, bringing cross-strait confrontation to a critical point.

Whether the representatives of both sides will once again share Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor in reconciliation and cooperation, or whether the 30-year bombardment will resume, remains uncertain. The Taiwan Strait, facing Kinmen Island, stands before the storm of war that approaches with autumn.