The Xiyu Eastern Fort () or Xiyu Eastern Battery ( ''Xīyǔ Dōng Pàotái'', informally ''Dōngtái Gǔbǎo'') is a former

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

and battery in Wai'an Village, Xiyu Township,

Penghu The Penghu ( , Hokkien Pe̍h-ōe-jī, POJ: ''Phîⁿ-ô͘'' or ''Phêⁿ-ô͘'' ) or Pescadores Islands are an archipelago of 90 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait, about west of the main island of Taiwan across the Penghu Ch ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

History

In the 17th century, Chinese

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

loyalist general Chen Guoxuan () built 15 batteries in Penghu to guard against

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

admiral

Shi Lang Shi Lang (1621–1696), Marquis Jinghai, also known as Secoe or Sego, was a Chinese admiral who served under the Ming dynasty, Ming and Qing dynasty, Qing dynasties in the 17th century. He was the commander-in-chief of the Qing fleets which dest ...

. Many of the batteries were destroyed during the

Sino-French War The Sino-French or Franco-Chinese War, also known as the Tonkin War, was a limited conflict fought from August 1884 to April 1885 between the French Third Republic and Qing China for influence in Vietnam. There was no declaration of war. The C ...

of 1884 and 1885, when Penghu was one of the main theaters of conflict. Following the war, Qing governor of Taiwan

Liu Mingchuan Liu Mingchuan () (1836–1896), courtesy name Xingsan, was a Chinese military general and politician during the late Qing dynasty. He was born in Hefei, Anhui. Liu became involved in the suppression of the Taiping Rebellion at an early age, a ...

ordered four batteries built in Penghu in 1887.Ko Shu-ling
"Gun Battery Sheds Light on History, Chinese Attitudes."
''

Taipei Times The ''Taipei Times'' is an English-language print newspaper in Taiwan published by the Liberty Times Group. Founded as the third English-language newspaper on 15 June 1999, it is currently the last surviving English-language print newspaper i ...

''. 10 January 2011. p. 3. Retrieved 15 July 2016. Xiyu Eastern Fort was constructed in 1889 during Qing Dynasty rule of Taiwan. It was constructed to consolidate the coastal area of Penghu.

Architecture

The fort was built in a U-shape structure facing the sea which spreads over an area of 7 hectares. It was fully constructed by gray building.

References

1889 establishments in Taiwan Forts in Penghu County Military installations established in 1889 National monuments of Taiwan {{Taiwan-struct-stub

History

Architecture

See also

References