Former battlefield becomes top wedding photo spot, hundreds of couples flock to Kinmen to capture their happiness

By Liu Jiawen, compiled and reported

Riding the wave of the centennial Republic of China marriage boom, Kinmen County Government launched the "Love in Kinmen: A Century of Harmony" wedding photo grant activity in June this year. From 83 entries, four major awards were selected — "Best Creative Award," "Best Styling Award," "Best Theme Award," and "Best Visual Design Award" — as well as a "People's Choice Award" voted on by over 10,000 netizens. Each winning couple received a cash prize of NT$10,000.

The event was divided into two main components: one offering wedding photo grants to 100 couples, including full transportation and accommodation support worth NT$23,760 for the first 30 registrants, and NT$8,000 for each of the remaining 70 couples. Additionally, an online public voting campaign for photographic works attracted over 10,000 netizens, with the "People's Choice Award" going to the photo titled "Kui Bi Lian Hui" submitted by Dong Senbao, which garnered 8,230 votes.

For the 100-couple wedding photo grant quota, a total of 113 couples signed up, including 43 from Xiamen on the mainland, accounting for nearly 40% of the total. This highlights the success of Kinmen County Government’s efforts to promote wedding tourism and has also allowed people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to get to know Kinmen better through this event.