Wartime Tunnel Swaps Shells for Cellos at Kinmen Music Festival

Taiwan's Cold War-era Zhaishan Tunnel in Kinmen—once a frontline military shelter against Chinese shelling—was transformed into a unique concert venue last weekend for the annual Kinmen Tunnel Music Festival.

The granite tunnel, hand-hewn in the 1960s, hosted its 17th annual festival, offering six sold-out shows attended by 200 people each. Performers, including cellists and violinists, played classical works by Mozart and Beethoven alongside traditional tunes while floating gently on a boat in the dramatically lit tunnel.

Festival art director Chang Chen-chieh stated the music "speaks of the preciousness of peace." Kinmen, which sits near the Chinese coast and was regularly bombarded until the 1990s, is now a popular tourist destination, with its powerful history lending an "overwhelming feeling" to the music, as one audience member noted. Tickets for the dramatic event sold out in just two minutes.