Wai'an Fake Cannons (Wai'an Bait Cannons) Introduction
Located on the western highlands of Wai'an, known as "Xipuding," it was built during the Japanese colonial period and has been preserved to this day. According to the "Penghu Island Fortress Construction Guidelines" from 1920 (Taisho 9), it was originally planned to establish a gun emplacement at Wai'an to defend against potential naval attacks from the west and south of Magong Harbor. The plan included the installation of two 35 cm caliber cannons in a turret format, with an allocation of 200 rounds of ammunition, which were considered large coastal defense guns at the time. However, following the commencement of construction in 1921, the "Washington Naval Treaty" was signed in 1922 by the five maritime powers: the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, and Italy, which restricted the increase of new fortifications and coastal defenses. This led to the forced suspension of the Wai'an Gun Emplacement project. In 1923, the Japanese Army Ministry ordered the Army Fortification Department to build a dummy turret at the original site and designated the surrounding area as a fortification zone, attempting to mislead the public into believing that this area had been completed prior to the treaty restrictions, with the intention of later replacing the dummy turret with a real cannon. However, as aviation capabilities of various countries rapidly advanced, fixed turrets, which were vulnerable to air attacks, became an outdated design. Subsequently, coastal artillery on Penghu Island was transitioned to multiple mobile artillery units, meaning the dummy cannon here never became "real." During World War II, it was not prioritized as a target for airstrikes by the US Army and Navy, thus it has been inadvertently preserved to this day, becoming a symbol that testifies to the military history of Penghu. Source: Penghu Travel, Modern Japanese Fortress Construction History, Volume II, Tenth Volume, History of Fortress Construction on Penghu Island "Penghu Island Fortress Construction Guidelines (August 19, Taisho 9, General Staff Headquarters)", Quarterly "Lao Gu Shi" Issue 93 by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Penghu County Government, "Decoy -- The Long Misunderstood Wai'an Dummy Cannon and Wude Dummy Cannon in Penghu" [Recommended stay time] 0.5 hours
Viewing platform overlooking Wai'an Erpao
