Travelogue of Beihai Tunnel in Beigan: A Wartime Maze Echoing with the Sound of Tides

Beihai Tunnel is one of the most iconic wartime attractions on Beigan Island. Hidden within the mountains between Qinbi and Tanghou, it was originally a military defense project during the Cold War era. Today, it has transformed into a profound historical site for visitors to explore. As I stepped into the tunnel entrance, a damp and cool air greeted me. The dim yellow lights cast mottled shadows on the rocky walls, and the stone steps beneath my feet glistened with traces of seawater. With each step deeper into the tunnel, the surrounding sounds gradually faded, replaced by the echoes of waves and dripping water, as if I had entered a maze frozen in time. The walls of the tunnel still bear the chisel marks from its construction, and every groove seems to echo the hammering sounds of soldiers from the past. The waterway inside the tunnel is even more astonishing. It is a channel wide enough for small boats to navigate, with a deep green surface reflecting the light, intertwining with the rocky walls to create a stark yet magnificent scene. As I gently glided deeper into the tunnel aboard a wooden boat, the sound of the oar slicing through the water was strikingly clear, reverberating through the narrow cavern. The sight before me evoked an image of decades past, when this place might have been an underground naval port, always on high alert, brimming with tension and solemnity. At the tunnel's exit, sunlight spilled onto the sea, with the nearby Qinbi Village in the distance, bringing me back to the present. Yet, the lingering impression of Beihai Tunnel does not fade easily. It stands as a microcosm of Beigan's wartime memories and a marvel shaped by both nature and human effort.