Wuqiu: An Outpost Among Outposts, a Forgotten Military Island and the Shadow of Nuclear Waste

30-Second Overview:
Wuqiu is the most unique "island" in Taiwan's administrative map, consisting of Daqiu and Xiaoqiu, with a total area of only 1.2 square kilometers. While administratively managed by Kinmen, its transportation and essential supplies rely entirely on the Port of Taichung. Once a frontline guerrilla base during the confrontation between the Nationalists and Communists, the island has once again become a microcosm of Taiwan's subjectivity and peripheral sacrifice—due to the relighting of the Wuqiuyu Lighthouse after 66 years of darkness, and the twenty-year controversy over nuclear waste site selection.

At Taichung Port's Terminal 5A, every second Wednesday at late night, a group of unique passengers appears. These people are neither tourists traveling abroad nor ordinary travelers returning home; they are preparing to board the military-chartered transport ship "Kinmen Express" to cross the seventy-two nautical miles of the Heishui Gou (Black Water Trench) and return to that home nearly forgotten on the map—Wuqiu. ¹

It is a five-scale journey. As the vessel slowly approaches the islands of Daqiu and Xiaoqiu, passengers must "jump ship" at sea to transfer to small boats to reach the shore. Administratively, it belongs to Kinmen, yet it lies seventy nautical miles away from Kinmen; geographically, it is inches away from Meizhou Island in Fujian, China, with a straight-line distance of only twenty nautical miles. This peculiar configuration—"geographically close, administratively remote, and lifeline tied to Taiwan"—defines Wuqiu's lonely destiny as an "outpost among outposts." ²

Sixty-Six Years of Darkness: The Southern Border Re-illuminated

At the highest point of Daqiu, Wuqiu, stands a dark stone lighthouse. Built in 1874, the Wuqiuyu Lighthouse was designed by British engineer David Marr Henderson and was once one of the most important navigational landmarks in the Taiwan Strait. ³ However, in 1951, due to military considerations during the Chinese Civil War, the garrison ordered the light extinguished to prevent the lighthouse from becoming a target for enemy forces.

That darkness lasted sixty-six years.

"Relighting the lamp is a matter of the state, and designating historical sites is also a matter of the state; however, regarding these lighthouse matters, Wuqiu has always felt it is merely a matter for the Gao family," laments Wuqiu local historian Gao Dan-hua. ⁴ Gao Dan-hua's father, Gao Jin-zhen, was the last lighthouse keeper of the Wuqiu Lighthouse, guarding it for forty-two years starting in 1959; tending the light became an obsession for three generations of the Gao family. Through her advocacy and the efforts of various sectors, on July 23, 2017, the Wuqiuyu Lighthouse was finally relit. This light brought this island, which had been blockaded by military control for half a decade, back into the sight of the Taiwanese people. ⁵

Xinghua Dialect and Seaweed: A Severed Lifeline

Walking through the streets of Wuqiu, what often strikes outsiders first is the language: the residents communicate daily in Xinghua-yu (Xinghua dialect), which is not mutually intelligible with Kinmen dialect or Taiwanese. ⁶ Most residents here trace their ancestry to Putian, Fujian, sharing the same roots as the fishermen of Meizhou Island. Before 1949, fishermen from both sides interacted closely, even sharing the same fishing grounds.

However, the Iron Curtain of the Cold War severed this lifeline. Wuqiu became a guerrilla base for the retreat of the Dachen Islanders, subsequently entering a forty-year period of wartime administration. Every plant and every word on the island was subject to military control. Today, although the registered population is around six hundred, the number of permanent residents living on the island has dwindous to only dozens, most of whom are elderly. ⁷

The primary local economic pillar is wild seaweed (zicai). Seaweed is harvested only once a year; residents must climb rocky reefs and even descend using ropes amidst the biting sea winds of the northeast monsoon to hand-harvest this entirely wild "seaweed field." The "Wuqiu seaweed" earned through such hardship serves as the villagers' sole connection to their homeland and demonstrates the resilience they exhibit on this barren land. ⁸

Remnants of the Anti-Communist Salvation Army and Wartime Administration

Wuqiu's history is inseparable from its military significance. In the 1950s, it served as a base for the "Fujian Provincial Anti-Communist Salvation Army," gathering a large number of guerrilla members and Dachen Islanders who had retreated from the mainland. ⁹ During those years, Wuqiu was the frontline of the "counterattack against the mainland," with the island covered in defensive fortifications and landmines.

Although martial law in the Kinmen-Matsu region was lifted in 1992, ending wartime administration, Wuqiu maintains a high degree of militarization due to its extremely sensitive geographical location. The island's administration, supply of goods, and even medical services are deeply tied to military operations. This "civil-military integration" structure, while ensuring the survival of the isolated island, also limits the possibilities for local development. For the younger generation, Wuqiu is a place where one "can neither return nor stay."

The Shadow of Nuclear Waste: A Referendum Dilemma of Majority Bullying Minority

The most severe challenge facing Wuqiu comes from underground. In 1998, Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) announced that Xiaoqiu, part of Wuqiu, was a proposed site for a "low-level radioactive waste final disposal facility." ¹⁰ This decision triggered twenty years of protest.

"If it is truly that safe, then find any place you want; put it right under the Presidential Office," a protest slogan from the Lanyu anti-nuclear movement, reflects the sentiments of the people of Wuqiu. ¹¹ The deeper dilemma facing Wuqiu lies in institutional injustice: according to the Referendum Act, nuclear waste sites must be decided via local referendum, but because Wuqiu is administered by Kinmen County, the referendum scope is based on the "county" unit. This means that people from Kinmen—located seventy nautical miles away and who have never benefited from Wuqula's existence—may decide the fate of Wuqiu residents through their votes.

This is a classic case of "majority bullying minority." For the villagers of Wuqiu, they must face not only the pressures of being on the frontline of military confrontation but also bear the cost of sacrifice behind national development. ¹²

Conclusion: The Lighthouse is Lit, But Where are the People?

Today's Wuqiu still maintains a unique form of civil-military coexistence. Although wartime administration has long been lifted, due to extreme transportation difficulties and the remnants of military control, it remains like an island frozen in time.

Since the relighting of the lighthouse, that beam of light continues to sweep across the Taiwan Strait every night. It reminds the world that beyond the prosperous main island of Taiwan, there is a place guarding the loneliest border, speaking the oldest language, and striving to protect a small piece of its home's dignity under the shadow of nuclear waste.

Further Reading:

• Gao Dan-hua, New Book Launch "Seeing the Wuqiu Lighthouse," Kinmen County Government.
• "The Great Nuclear Waste Wind Blows," Public Television "Our Island".
• Official Website of Wuqiu Township Office: Historical Development.

References