The echo of the solar terms in the shadow of the ancient wall: Visiting the General Military Headquarters in Kinmen Town during the Dragon Boat Festival

#Dragon Boat Festival Good Places In the Dragon Boat Festival, a festival full of rituals and historical implications, in addition to eating zongzi, hanging mugwort, boat racing and wearing sachets, you may as well walk into the scene of history and let the memory of the solar term intersect with the veins of the land. The General Military Office of Kinmen Town, located in the center of Jincheng Town and with a history of three hundred years, is such a quiet but profound place for festivals. The General Military Office of Kinmen Town was first built during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. It was the highest military and political institution of the Fujian Navy stationed in Kinmen. It is also the most complete military official building of the Qing Dynasty preserved in Taiwan. The high walls and deep courtyards, flying eaves and ridges, stone paving and gatehouses are both military and cultural. Walking into it, it seems to travel through a time tunnel and step into the military and political center of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Visiting the General Military Office during the Dragon Boat Festival has a unique solar term atmosphere. The ancients had the custom of "climbing high at noon to avoid epidemics and inserting mugwort on the door to pray for health". This place was once an important military place. Every Dragon Boat Festival, ceremonies such as flag sacrifice, praying for peace, and giving rice dumplings were held to boost the morale of the army and protect the soldiers. Although the current General Military Office does not have the complicated ceremonies of the past, the exhibition hall's specially set up "Festival Scenery" display and interactive experience still allow people to relive how the Qing Dynasty army celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival: wearing sachets, drinking realgar wine, hanging yellow talismans, and writing five poisonous pictures. Walking between the main hall and the left and right wing rooms of the General Military Office, you can see antique military uniforms, military equipment and military office documents. History flows quietly between the display boards and the corners of the wall. When the afternoon sunlight passes through the ancient trees and tile eaves and falls on the bluestone floor, the entire office seems to be silently guarding a memory that has long been weathered but never forgotten. After the visit, you can take a break in the nearby ancient teahouse and taste Kinmen sorghum tea, paired with local salty and fragrant rice dumplings and tribute sugar, extending the festive atmosphere of the Dragon Boat Festival from visual and historical to taste and emotion. If time permits, you can also visit Jincheng Old Street and Model Street together to experience how tradition and life interweave a festive landscape of Kinmen. Kinmen Town General Military Headquarters is not a busy tourist attraction, but a quiet place where you can talk with the solar terms and look at history. This Dragon Boat Festival, let us not only pursue the sense of ritual in popular activities, but return to the origin of history and rediscover the roots and soul of the festival.