Today, the number of troops on Kinmen, also known as Quemoy, has sharply declined as tensions have eased. And for old folks like Li, the days are filled with visits to relatives or spent harvesting oysters from mudflats within sight of China's Fujian province. And that's part of Kinmen's problem, the flight of its younger generation. Many leave after high school to further their education in Taiwan, where they often settle permanently. This brain drain explains why the island, with a civilian population of 52,000, lacks youthful energy.
Money also comes from smuggling, which accounts for perhaps a third of the economy.
Many local fishermen sail out into the Taiwan Strait to buy catch straight from their mainland counterparts. The surprise decision by Taiwan's legislature earlier this year to allow direct trade and travel links between the mainland and the island might legitimize and expand such trade. It also could help tourism, which Kinmen is counting on to boost per-capita income, which is a third less than Taiwan's. One draw for tourists, of course, is the military presence. A popular spot is the Mashan Observatory at the island's northernmost tip, where visitors can peer from a bunker toward the nearby mainland.