Fort Hill Scenic Area Introduction
The Paotai Mountain Scenic Area is located beside the Suhua Highway, at an elevation of about 200 meters. In the 15th year of the Guangxu era, concerned about the French military's intentions to invade Su'ao, the Qing government established two coastal defense forts and barracks here as a defense measure, thus the name. In addition to the forts set up by the Qing army, there are also ruins of the "Kotohira Shrine," established during the Japanese colonial period. Kotohira is the guardian deity of maritime traffic in Japan, where captains or shipyards would pray for safe voyages before launching their vessels. Currently, only the base of the fort remains after restoration, while the upper fort was newly built later. A pair of stone lanterns from the Kotohira shrine have now been moved to either side of the entrance of the Tianjun Temple on the mountain. Although the ancient ruins no longer exist, there are still twisted old banyan trees with lush foliage, providing shade underneath. Looking eastward, the view is broad, with the Su'ao harbor in full sight.
