Dadan Island

Dadan Island[4][5] (Tatan,[6][7] Taitan Island,[8] Tae-tan[9]/Taetan[10]) (Chinese: 大膽島; pinyin: Dàdǎn[11] Dǎo; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tōa-táⁿ tó; lit. 'Island of Boldness[6]', originally 大擔島[12]) is an island in Lieyu Township, Kinmen County, Fujian Province, Republic of China (Taiwan).[13][3] The island is in the Taiwan Strait, along the coast of Mainland China. It is located approximately 12,000 m (7.5 mi) to the southwest of Lesser Kinmen (Lieyu) and approximately 4,400 m (14,400 ft) from Xiamen (Amoy).[14]

Dadan Island
Native name:
大膽島
Dadan Island in Kinmen County
Geography
LocationLieyu, Kinmen, Fujian, Republic of China
Coordinates24°23′25″N 118°09′56″E
Area0.7900 km2 (0.3050 sq mi)[1][2]: 22 
Highest elevation98 m (322 ft)[3]
Dadan Island is located in Taiwan
Dadan Island
Dadan Island
Location of Dadan Island
President Ma Ying-jeou visits Dadan Island
Dadan Island (labelled as Ta-tan (Tan Hsü) 大担) (1954)
A defense position with 2 large walls bearing the slogan "Three Principles of the People Unite China" built by Gen. Zhao in Aug. 1986, dismissed after 1987 Lieyu Massacre.

History
Dadan Island (labelled 大担㠘)

In March 1853, HMS Rattler struck a sunken rock at Amoy, China and was severely damaged. She was beached at Tae-tan (Dadan) for repairs.[15]

Since 1949, Dadan Island has several times become the battlefront of conflicts between the People's Liberation Army and the Republic of China Armed Forces.

On July 26, 1950, ROC forces on the island, in total 298 soldiers, repulsed an attack (大擔島戰役) from a People's Liberation Army force of 700 soldiers that landed on the island.[2]: 11, 19–20 [16]

In October 1951, Chiang Ching-kuo visited the island and gave the island its current name.[2]: 61 

External image
image icon Declassified nuclear strike plan shows geographical relativity between Dadan, Xiamen & Lieyu

Chinese Nationalist spokesmen reported that Chinese Communists shelled Dadan and Erdan between June 26–28, 1957. At that time, Chinese Nationalist strength on the islands was around 1,100 men.[17]

On May 9–10, 2002, President Chen Shui-bian visited Dadan (Tatan) and delivered remarks concerning Cross-Strait relations.[2]: 8–9 [6]

On 30 June 2014, the control of the island and surrounding islets was handed over from the Republic of China Armed Forces to the civilian under the Coast Guard Administration of Kinmen County Government.[18][19][20]

From 26 July until 31 October 2018, the island was opened to the public on trial basis which attracted 3,000 people in total. On 1 March 2019, the island was officially opened for tourism. A maximum of 150 people can visit the island on a given day and sight-seers must apply for permission to visit ten days before their visit. Residents of Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau are prohibited from visiting the island.[21]

Geography

The total surface area of Dadan Island is 0.79 km2 (0.31 sq mi). The northern and southern part of the island are more elevated than its central area, which contains a strip of sandy beach. Mountains on the island include Beishan ('north mountain', Mt. Beishan; 北山) which reaches 45 m (148 ft) above sea level, Mt. Xiaohu ('little tiger mountain', Mt. Siaohu; 小虎山) which reaches 34 m (112 ft) above sea level, and Nanshan ('south mountain', Mt. Nanshan; 南山) which reaches 98 m (322 ft) above sea level.[3]

Erdan Island is 800 m (2,600 ft) from Dadan Island at the closest point.[2]: 24 

Dadan Island is the largest of a small group of islets which also includes Erdan Island, Sandan Island (三擔島), Sidan Island (四擔島), Wudan Island (五擔島), Menghu Islet, etc. They sit astride the entrance into the Xiamen (Amoy) Harbor from the Taiwan Strait.

The islands of Wu Yu and Qing Yu in Gangwei, Longhai City, Zhangzhou, Fujian, China are located to the south of Dadan Island.[12][22]

Sights
A large wall which proclaims the political slogan of "Three Principles of the People Unite China", which was the ideological brainchild of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, who founded the Republic of China (on the mainland before it ended up on Taiwan in 1949) in 1911.
  • Dadan's Southern and Eastern lighthouses were constructed at the same time. However, due to the August 23 ("823") Artillery barrage by the PLA, all that is left are their respective foundations.
  • There are two temples located on Dadan island. One in the north and one in the south.
  • "Three Principles of the People Unite China" Slogan Wall is founded by General Zhao Wan-fu on the North of the island in August 1986, depositioned after Lieyu Massacre next year.
  • The Tomb of General Mingwei is the tomb of Liu Long-chang, Governor General of the Navy in the Early Qing Dynasty who resigned and retired to Dadan Island[23][24][25]

See also

References
  1. 行政面積. 金門縣政府民政處 Civil Affairs Department, Kinmen County Government (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 29 January 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019. 外圍 島嶼 面積單位： (平方公里）{...} 大膽 0.7900
  2. Lin Ma-Teng 林馬騰 (July 2009). 秘島：大二膽的秘境秘史 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 林馬騰文史工作室. ISBN 978-957-41-6438-7.
  3. 金門縣行政區域圖 [Kinmen County] (Map) (in Chinese (Taiwan) and English). Ministry of the Interior, Kinmen County Government. September 2007. ISBN 978-986010742-5.
  4. "Kinmen Battlefield Culture". Ministry of Culture. Retrieved 24 August 2019. Kinmen County has jurisdiction over a total of 12 islands including Kinmen Island, Lieyu, Dadan Island and Erdan Island.
  5. "The Kinmen Lieyu Dadan Island Insect Resource Survey Discovered Eight New Record Species and Astonished the Nation! ---Interview with Teacher Yong-Ren Zhang". National Parks of Taiwan. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019. Dadan Island is a part of Lieyu Township for Kinmen County, and is located at the southwestern part of Lieyu. Fierce KMT-CPC battles had once waged on this island, and the island was controlled and stationed by the military for numerous years. That is how Dadan Island earned the nickname of "the front line of front lines and the island among the islands." Its special strategic battle position and long battle history have added a veil of mystery to the island.
  6. "President Chen's Remarks during His Stop on Tatan Island". Office of the President, ROC (Taiwan). 10 May 2002. Retrieved 23 August 2019. Lastly, on this "Isle of Boldness" (the literal translation for Tatan Island), I'd like to boldly reiterate the following:{...}
  7. R. Collinson (1843). "ART. II. Survey of the harbor of Amoy". The Chinese Repository. Canton. 12: 123 – via Internet Archive. Tátán.-Tátán 大担
  8. 增廣英語撮要 [The Classified List of Miscellaneous Important Terms] (in Chinese and English) (24 ed.). The Commercial Press. 1917. p. 26. Name of Place. 地方名 Open Port. 通商口岸 Prefecture. 府 District. 縣{...}大膽島 Taitan Island ....... Amoy ....... 泉州府 同安縣
  9. Charles J. Bullock (1884). The China Sea Directory. Vol. 3 (2 ed.). London: Hydorgraphic Office, Admiralty. pp. vi, 196, 197, 198, 204, 208, 740 – via Internet Archive.
  10. Alexander George Findlay (July 1861). A Description and List of the Lighthouses of the World. London. p. 107. ISBN 9780665477768 – via Internet Archive. TAETAN ISLAND. 24 24.5 118 9.3 Building (1861) on N.W. Id...{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  11. 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 23 August 2019. 字詞 【大膽】 注音 ㄉㄚˋ ㄉㄢˇ 漢語拼音 dà dǎn{...}金門群島中靠近最前線的一個孤島，為國軍堅守的陣地。
  12. 臺灣歷史地圖 增訂版 [Taiwan Historical Maps, Expanded and Revised Edition] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Taipei: National Museum of Taiwan History. February 2018. pp. 39, 154, 158. ISBN 978-986-05-5274-4. 大擔島{...}大膽島（1951年改名）{...}浯嶼
  13. 金門縣土地段名代碼表 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Department of Land Administration. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2019. 地政事務所名稱(代碼) 金門(WA) 鄉鎮市區名稱(代碼) 烈嶼鄉(05){...}段 小段 代碼 備註{...}大膽 0251
  14. 洪秀柱遊金門大膽島 離廈門僅4.4公里. 中國評論新聞網 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 23 September 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  15. "Sunken Rock at Amoy". The Standard. No. 8976. London. 16 May 1853.
  16. "Islet Dadan". Archived from the original on 2012-03-16. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
  17. "CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN". CIA. 29 June 1957. p. 3 – via Internet Archive.
  18. "Jiang hopeful of Chinese landing visas to islands". July 2014.
  19. "Outlying Kinmen County to oversee Dadan, Erdan islands - the China Post". Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2015-08-05.
  20. "Premier Jiang Yi-huah Witnessed Kinmen County Government Take Control Over Dadan and Erdan Islands". Archived from the original on 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
  21. Huang, Huei-min; Wang, Flor (7 March 2019). "Dadan Island opened to public". Focus Taiwan. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  22. 林馬騰 (30 July 2010). 大膽島風雲. Kinmen Daily News (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 6 March 2020. 大二膽島為國軍據守，但在九龍江口的重要島嶼，還有在大膽島南方的浯嶼和西南方的青嶼﹙又稱下青嶼﹚，均落入共軍之手，
  23. "Mysterious Dadan Island Opened for Trial Tourism". Kinmen County Government. Retrieved 6 March 2020. The Ministry of Culture assessed that there are 21 cultural assets on Dadan Island and 13 on Erdan Island. Adhering to the principle of "preserving cultural resources first before construction and development," the Ministry recommended designating the island's stone tablets from the Qing Dynasty as ancient monuments, and registering "The Tomb of General Mingwei" as historic architecture.
  24. "Dadan Island". Lieyu Travel. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2020. Liu Long-chang, the Governor General of the Navy was instructed to smash the pirates in Dadan sea area. He finally resigned and lived in Dadan island and was buried in Dagu Mountain (today known as Dahu Mountain). He was given the title "General Mingwei" by Emperor Qianlong. His tomb was covered with the garrison's artillery emplacement for 10years, now it was rebuilt to "Mingwei Park"
  25. 大膽二膽（大擔小擔）戰地文化景觀. Ministry of Culture (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 28 November 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2020. 此外，島上源自清初的著名勝蹟則有康熙剿海寇有功的「明威將軍墓」；以及康熙至雍正年間文人武將題名的「北山碑竭群」等，展現豐富多樣化的軍事地景。
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