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Inside A Country That Doesn't Exist On Any Map
Ruijin's Chinese Soviet Republic and the Ferry to Kinmen
China to Taiwan, this was one hell of an adventure. We decided to take the long way. In this video we become "Red Tourists", find China's forgotten communist capital buried in the mountains, cross the Middle Kingdom towards Taiwan, wear some questionable commie hats, take a ferry across one of the...
China to Taiwan, this was one hell of an adventure. We decided to take the long way. In this video we become "Red Tourists", find China's forgotten communist capital buried in the mountains, cross the Middle Kingdom towards Taiwan, wear some questionable commie hats, take a ferry across one of the most disputed stretches of water on Earth, and spend the night in a bunker.
This journey was wild. Welcome back to China x
Hong Kong to Taiwan the long way. The couple crosses the de facto border from Hong Kong into mainland China, takes a six-hour train into the mountains of Jiangxi and reaches Ruijin, the capital of the short-lived Chinese Soviet Republic, which existed from 1931 to 1934 before the Long March. They stay in a 23 pound room with a propaganda channel, visit the First National Soviet Congress building, drink tea with a shopkeeper and buy a souvenir, then head to Xiamen for the ferry to Kinmen. The crossing takes about 20 minutes, and on Kinmen they find bullet holes, military installations, an old tunnel and oyster farms, with Xiamen's skyline just 2 km away.
China to Taiwan, this was one hell of an adventure. We decided to take the long way. In this video we become "Red Tourists", find China's forgotten communist capital buried in the mountains, cross the Middle Kingdom towards Taiwan, wear some questionable commie hats, take a ferry across one of the most disputed stretches of water on Earth, and spend the night in a bunker.
This journey was wild. Welcome back to China x
The video opens with the idea of a tiny communist country that existed inside China before the People's Republic, its capital hidden in mountains a few hundred kilometres north of Hong Kong. The couple is late for a train and has to clear Hong Kong immigration and then Chinese immigration, because Hong Kong keeps its own passport and visa rules even after the handover. A short commuter train takes them across the border, where they find a huge station and a modern train for the six-hour ride into Jiangxi province, leaving the Greater Bay Area with its 85 million people behind. They arrive in Ruijin, which they expected to be a small mountain town but is a full city with a Pizza Hut. Their room costs 23 pounds, about 30 US dollars a night, and even has a propaganda channel on the TV. The creator explains that in 1931 a Chinese Soviet Republic appeared in this area, ran its own banks, money and government for three years, and was driven out by the nationalists in 1934, when the Long March began. They walk through the First National Soviet Congress building and the old news agency and radio office, hear how Soviet influence shaped the republic, and see a shopkeeper's tea ceremony with glasses rinsed over a drain. They buy a Russian doll as a joke before heading toward Taiwan, then reach Xiamen after dark and explain that Kinmen, a short ferry ride away, is run by a separate government with separate laws. They book ferry tickets and fill in a migration form online, which crashes several times. The ferry terminal works like an airport with security and passport control, and the crossing itself takes about 20 minutes. On Kinmen they find Google and YouTube working again without a VPN, check into a small hotel, and drive around an island full of bullet holes, military installations and traditional low houses, with Xiamen's skyscrapers and a new airport being built just 2 km away. They meet a Taiwanese woman who has lived on Kinmen for 10 years, see oyster farms on the coast and walk through an old military tunnel before reflecting on how close the two sides are.
Hong Kong to Taiwan the long way. The couple crosses the de facto border from Hong Kong into mainland China, takes a six-hour train into the mountains of Jiangxi and reaches Ruijin, the capital of the short-lived Chinese Soviet Republic, which existed from 1931 to 1934 before the Long March. They stay in a 23 pound room with a propaganda channel, visit the First National Soviet Congress building, drink tea with a shopkeeper and buy a souvenir, then head to Xiamen for the ferry to Kinmen. The crossing takes about 20 minutes, and on Kinmen they find bullet holes, military installations, an old tunnel and oyster farms, with Xiamen's skyline just 2 km away.
From Hong Kong to Ruijin's Chinese Soviet Republic sites, then a 20-minute ferry from Xiamen to Kinmen and its war-scarred coast.
Ruijin's Chinese Soviet Republic and the Ferry to Kinmen
22:56 Book the Xiamen to Kinmen ferry and fill in the migration form online the day before; the couple needed several attempts because the site kept crashing.
23:43 The ferry terminal on the Xiamen side works like an airport, so arrive early enough for security, passport control and boarding.
28:36 The ferry between Xiamen and Kinmen takes only about 20 minutes, yet the two sides use different internet and payment systems, so set up what you need before you cross.
9:49 In Ruijin you can visit the sites of the Chinese Soviet Republic, which existed from 1931 to 1934 and lasted only three years before the Long March began.
10:50 The First National Soviet Congress building is open to walk through; it was the seat of government of the Chinese Soviet Republic, not just a rebel camp.
13:11 If a shop invites you for tea in Ruijin, expect a small ceremony where hot water runs over the glasses and down a drain before the tea is poured.
8:01 A room this size in Ruijin cost 23 pounds, about 30 US dollars a night, and the TV even carried a propaganda channel.
32:23 Buildings across Kinmen still carry bullet holes and military installations from the war, so a drive around the island works as a history lesson.
38:25 An old military tunnel on Kinmen is open to walk through, a cool and narrow route that shows how the island was defended.
36:34 From the Kinmen coast you can see Xiamen, its skyscrapers and the oyster poles in the water only 2 km away, and locals make the crossing often.
22:56 Book the Xiamen to Kinmen ferry and fill in the migration form online the day before; the couple needed several attempts because the site kept crashing.
23:43 The ferry terminal on the Xiamen side works like an airport, so arrive early enough for security, passport control and boarding.
28:36 The ferry between Xiamen and Kinmen takes only about 20 minutes, yet the two sides use different internet and payment systems, so set up what you need before you cross.
9:49 In Ruijin you can visit the sites of the Chinese Soviet Republic, which existed from 1931 to 1934 and lasted only three years before the Long March began.
10:50 The First National Soviet Congress building is open to walk through; it was the seat of government of the Chinese Soviet Republic, not just a rebel camp.
13:11 If a shop invites you for tea in Ruijin, expect a small ceremony where hot water runs over the glasses and down a drain before the tea is poured.
8:01 A room this size in Ruijin cost 23 pounds, about 30 US dollars a night, and the TV even carried a propaganda channel.
32:23 Buildings across Kinmen still carry bullet holes and military installations from the war, so a drive around the island works as a history lesson.
38:25 An old military tunnel on Kinmen is open to walk through, a cool and narrow route that shows how the island was defended.
36:34 From the Kinmen coast you can see Xiamen, its skyscrapers and the oyster poles in the water only 2 km away, and locals make the crossing often.
0:00 Intro: a country wiped off maps
0:35 Hong Kong to mainland China
3:14 Six-hour train to Jiangxi
6:32 Ruijin, bigger than expected
7:40 A communist-themed hotel room
9:49 The Chinese Soviet Republic
10:50 First National Soviet Congress
13:11 Tea with a shopkeeper
22:01 Xiamen and the ferry
25:50 Crossing to Kinmen
32:23 Bullet holes on Kinmen
38:25 An old military tunnel
0:00 Intro: a country wiped off maps
0:35 Hong Kong to mainland China
3:14 Six-hour train to Jiangxi
6:32 Ruijin, bigger than expected
7:40 A communist-themed hotel room
9:49 The Chinese Soviet Republic
10:50 First National Soviet Congress
13:11 Tea with a shopkeeper
22:01 Xiamen and the ferry
25:50 Crossing to Kinmen
32:23 Bullet holes on Kinmen
38:25 An old military tunnel
chinachina travelred tourismchina to taiwanchina taiwanchina travel vlogtaiwantaiwan chinatravelling chinatravelling taiwantaiwan traveltaiwan travel vlogchina taiwan ferryxiamenkinmenkinmen taiwanchinese soviet republiccommunist chinachinese communismchina taiwan relationstaiwan straitcrossing taiwan straitchina taiwan borderww3travel vlogmatt and juliaWhat was the Chinese Soviet Republic?
A small communist state that appeared around Ruijin in 1931, with its own banks, money and government. It lasted three years until the nationalists drove it out in 1934, when the Long March began.
How do you reach Ruijin from Hong Kong?
Cross the de facto border with immigration on both sides, take a short commuter train into the mainland, then a six-hour train into the mountains of Jiangxi province.
How much does a hotel cost in Ruijin?
The couple paid 23 pounds, about 30 US dollars, for a large room with a propaganda channel on the TV.
How long is the ferry from Xiamen to Kinmen?
About 20 minutes. The terminal works like an airport, with security and passport control before boarding.
Do you need a form to enter Kinmen?
Yes, a migration form that can be filled in online. The couple found the site crashed several times, so do it early.
What can you see on Kinmen?
Bullet holes and military installations from the war, an old military tunnel, traditional low houses, oyster farms on the coast and the Xiamen skyline just 2 km away.
Can you see mainland China from Kinmen?
Yes. Xiamen is less than 2 km away, and a new airport is being built on the mainland side just 2 km from the Kinmen coast.
Is Kinmen part of Taiwan?
The video explains that Kinmen is run by a separate government with separate laws and has functioned like a different country for decades, while most governments do not call it another country.
