Fengguiwei Fort () is a former Dutch fortification located in Magong,

Penghu The Penghu (, Hokkien POJ: ''Phîⁿ-ô͘'' or ''Phêⁿ-ô͘'' ) or Pescadores Islands are an archipelago of 90 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait, located approximately west from the main island of Taiwan, covering an area ...

, Taiwan. The fort sat atop a small hill on a peninsula across the bay from

Magong Harbor The Magong Harbor () is a harbor in Magong City, Penghu, Taiwan. History In 2015, Taiwan International Ports Corporation invested NT$1.1 billion to create the Penghu Pier to accommodate cruise liners, to make Magong Harbor a world class cruise ...

. As of today, little of the original structure remains.

Structure

The fort was built of compacted soil in a square with a side length of 55 m and a height of 7 m. On the southwest side facing the rest of the peninsula, the walls were covered with rock, and a trench was dug as well; the other three walls were covered with wood.

Bastion A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...

s were built on all four corners.

History

In 1622, the Dutch, based in Batavia, were seeking to establish a stronger presence in East Asia. A fleet of six ships led by

Cornelis Reijersen Cornelis is a Dutch form of the male given name Cornelius. Some common shortened versions of Cornelis in Dutch are Cees, Cor, Corné, Corneel, Crelis, Kees, Neel and Nelis. Cornelis (Kees) and Johannes (Jan) used to be the most common given na ...

attempted to capture Macau to disrupt the Portuguese's profitable Macau- Nagasaki route. However, despite outnumbering the defenders, Reijersen's fleet was defeated and repelled. Frustrated, they turned to the Pescadores (modern day Penghu) to set up a base and coerce the Chinese into trading with them. Reijersen built his fort atop a hill known as Shetou Mountain (蛇頭山), forcing 1,500 locals into its construction. Allegedly, 1,300 of the workmen died due to starvation. From there, the Dutch began raiding Chinese trading ships in an attempt to "induce the Chinese to trade by force or from fear." Their stay in the Pescadores, however, was short lived, ending in a successful Chinese offensive on the fort in August 1624. The Dutch and Chinese reached an agreement to destroy the fort, and the Dutch would move to

Formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territorie ...

(modern day Taiwan), where they built Fort Zeelandia, remaining there for 38 years. In 1895, Japanese Admiral Itō Sukeyuki rearmed the site as an

artillery battery In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to fac ...

as part of the Japanese invasion of Taiwan. These cannons were removed in 1945 with the

surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...

References

{{Forts in Taiwan Forts in Penghu County Star forts 1622 establishments in Dutch Formosa 1624 disestablishments in Dutch Formosa Buildings and structures associated with the Dutch East India Company Buildings and structures completed in 1622 Dutch Formosa Former properties of the Dutch East India Company National monuments of Taiwan

Structure

History

See also

References