Quemoy

Quemoy , Chin. Chinmen, Kinmen, or Jinmen, Taiwanese island group (1990 pop. 81,479), Taiwan Strait, just off Fujian prov., China, and c.150 mi (240 km) W of Taiwan. The group consists of the islands of Chinmen and Little Chinmen and 12 islets in the mouth of Xiamen Bay. The town of Chinmen, on Chinmen island, is the chief population center. Farming is the main occupation; about half the land is under cultivation. Crops include sweet potatoes, peanuts, sorghum, barley, wheat, soybeans, vegetables, and rice. Fishing is also important. Chinmen island is heavily fortified.

After the Communist victory on mainland China (1949), Quemoy and Matsu remained Nationalist outposts. For many years the islands were subjected to periodic bombardment from the Communist mainland. An incident in 1958 led to the deployment of the U.S. 7th Fleet, but an escalation of hostilities was avoided. The islands are no longer an important point of contention, and Taiwan reduced the military forces stationed there after 1990. Civilian rule was restored in 1993, and restrictions on travel to Quemoy were ended in 1994. Limited direct travel to and trade with the mainland has been permitted since Jan., 2001.

Quemoy kiˈmoi the main island in the Quemoy Islands, a group of islands a few miles off the coast of China's Fuchien Province. Quemoy has been ruled by the Republic of China since Nationalist troops repulsed Communist forces in a pitched battle in 1949. In August 1958. Mao Zedong determined to test American resolve to defend Taiwan by shelling Quemoy and Matsu Island from the port of Xiamen. After several days of heavy artillery fire, the United States sent six aircraft carriers, equipped with nuclear weapons, from the Seventh Fleet to help in resupplying the garrison. The Soviet Union promised retaliatory nuclear strikes should the United States use such force on mainland China, creating the first incident of brinksmanship, several years before the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Quemoy An island six miles off the coast of mainland China, which in 1949 the Nationalist forces had managed to defend against Communist encroachment. It became part of the Republic of China (Taiwan), which regarded it as a base for a future reconquest of mainland China, while using the island in the 1950s as a base for guerrilla raids against the People's Republic. Conversely, it was seen by Mao as the epitome of provocation to the sovereignty of Communist China, and a symbol of his failure to extend his authority over all of China. Mao ordered an invasion twice in 1954 and 1958, each time to withdraw in the face of heavy US presence. It became protected by a US-Taiwanese alliance, and was heavily fortified. Nevertheless, in subsequent decades it became a primary focus for Communist Chinese sabre-rattling, with Communist China periodically conducting regular military manoeuvres nearby. The island was under direct military rule until 1992, when civilian government was restored. In 2000, direct shipping links were restored to mainland China.