| Located at E.118.12 ~ 16 and N.24.24~28, Lieyu is at the coastal region and is one of the islands around the exit of Jioulong River. About 2km east of Kinmen and 7 km west of Amoy, Lieyu is wide in the northeast region and narrow in the southwest region. The width is about 6 km, the area is 14.85 square kilometers, which is about 1/10 of the entire Kinmen County (150 square km) and is one of the 12 islands in Kinmen County.
Surrounded by waters at all four sides, the northwest side of Lieyu is closest to mainland China. To its east is Kinmen’s Taiwu, and the southeast is Taiwan Strait. Fang Yu-chi wrote: “The circumference of the island is about 20 miles, with dozens of mountains, and officials were stationed here during the Tang dynasty.” According to Fuchien Record, “Lieyu is the frontier of Kinmen.” A governmental agency was stationed in Wushan during the Ming dynasty, which controlled the access to the southern waters with Kinmen Tower, showing the importance
Lieyu is separated from Kinmen Island at Wuchou, but they are closely connected in terms of geography and politics. For the past 50 years, these two islands were the frontline of Taiwan during the standoff with China. With the improving cross-strait relations, Kinmen is no longer a military fortress but a new “sea park.”
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