The fragrance of zongzi accompanies the sea breeze, and the festival enters the village - Wandering around Hujingtou during the Dragon Boat Festival

#Dragon Boat Festival Good Places When everyone is rushing to the tourist hotspots in the city, those who really understand the festival may have already stepped into a small village where time flows slowly and the solar terms are still clear. Hujingtou, Kinmen, is such a place for Dragon Boat Festival that makes people closely connected with tradition, nature and history.

Located in the northwest corner of Kinmen, Hujingtou settlement is close to the coast. It was an important frontline in the past and one of the most well-preserved traditional Minnan settlements. Visiting during the Dragon Boat Festival, the sea breeze is still cool and the sun is not yet blazing. It is the best time to walk among the ancient houses and explore the historical imprints.

When you step into Hujingtou, the first thing that comes into view is the scattered Minnan ancient houses, with swallowtail ridges, red bricks and gray tiles, and a century-old style everywhere. Mugwort and calamus are inserted in front of every household. The faint grass fragrance mixed with the salty seaside is the most authentic taste of the Dragon Boat Festival. The elders drink tea and chat at the temple entrance, while the children run and play between the stone walls, holding colorful sachets in their hands, turning the traditional meaning of warding off evil spirits into a childlike game.

The most representative buildings in the settlement are the Hujingtou War History Museum and the 823 Artillery Battle Monument. After visiting these places that record the history of Kinmen, walk along the trail to the coast, and you can see the "anti-landing piles" of the anti-landing fortifications of the past lined up on the beach, rusty and witnessing the war of the past. At this moment, the Dragon Boat Festival is approaching, and the ancients said "drive away plague and avoid evil spirits" and "the yang energy is extremely strong at noon". In front of these relics, there is a layer of deep meaning of history and tradition.

If the weather is fine, you can also rent a bicycle to ride between the village and the coast, and occasionally encounter villagers selling homemade rice dumplings, mostly filled with salty and fragrant peanuts and braised meat, wrapped in pure handmade and local memories. Paired with a cup of sorghum brewed tea or locally homemade herbal tea, the heat will disappear and the mouth will be fragrant.

The Dragon Boat Festival in Hujingtou is not noisy or artificial, but integrates the festival into daily life and hides faith in details, making every stone road, every red brick wall, and every sea breeze become an unspoken festival ritual.

Here, celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival is not a form, but a way to get along with history and land. Hujingtou teaches us that the Dragon Boat Festival does not have to be spent in the sound of dragon boats, but can also be spent in a quiet village, growing old with ancient houses, accompanying the wind, and reconciling with time.

Post by 日本出發環球旅行者 | May 29, 2025