Emblem of the County
Meanings of the Pattern
Two swallowtails form the pyramid-shape roof. The decorative bat, in Chinese tradition, symbolizes harmony and peace. The rolls on the gable are the two panels of a door. People in southern Fujian tend to describe Xiamen, Kinmen, Pintan, and Dongshan respectively as wealth, high social status, poverty, and low social status. In traditional southern Fujian commoner residence, the swallowtail ridge stands for the dweller’s social status. And here it symbolizes the position of Kinmen. The circle deckle is inspired by lotus and looks like the traditional window in Chinese architecture. The lotus is metaphor meaning Kinmen stands out from chaos and catches spotlight.
Meanings of the Colors
Expansive blue sky symbolizes Kinmen’s simple and unspoiled environment and its past as the celestial island and today’s “park on the sea.” The golden outlines stands for Kinmen’s past glory and today’s wealth. Red stands for nature and the efforts of Kinmen’s early settlers. Amid the patches of blue, white, and red, the golden outlined image stands for capriciousness, vigorous yet solemn. Overall Meanings of the Emblem Traditional southern Fujian-style settlements are Kinmen’s most valuable heritage. Faced by today’s ever-fast changing world, the lifestyle and culture of Kinmen will certainly interest people. The county government has launched a “tourism-oriented agriculture” project to lead Kinmen to develop eco-friendly, pollution-free industries. Swallowtail roofs against the sky, firm gables symbolize the generations of the Kinmen people stand firm on the ground, looking up at the sky, seeking for ideal but never forgetting their origins.