Dongtai Island, Xiyu Introduction
After the end of the Sino-French War in 1885, the Governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, Yang Changjun, and the Taiwan Provincial Governor, Liu Mingchuan, personally inspected Penghu and proposed that "the isolation and danger of Penghu Island make it the gateway between Fujian and Taiwan. We must build strong fortifications, purchase effective cannons, and station elite troops to defend it." They repeatedly petitioned to strengthen Penghu's maritime defenses and suggested establishing a city in Magong. The Qing court adopted their proposal and appointed Wu Honglu as the first general of Penghu. Upon his arrival in Penghu, Wu was ordered to construct Magong City and built four new-style Armstrong breech-loading gun forts: the North Fort of Big City, the Jin Gui Tou Fort, the East Fort of Xiyu, and the West Fort of Xiyu. In the 21st year of Guangxu (1895), during the Sino-Japanese War's battle for Penghu, the Japanese forces landed on the eastern side of Penghu Island at the Longmenli point and advanced westward to attack Magong City, with combat records between the defenders at the East Fort of Xiyu and the Japanese army. During World War II, due to the U.S. military's island-hopping strategy, after capturing the Philippines, they bypassed Taiwan and Penghu, directly attacking Okinawa, thus the fortifications on Penghu Island did not engage in direct artillery fire with U.S. warships, and these fortifications remain intact to this day. The East Fort of Xiyu was designated as a national historic site by the Ministry of the Interior on November 23, 1991. Source: National Cultural Heritage Database. [Suggested duration of stay] 2 hours
Dongtai Fortress faces north and features military-style architecture.
Dongtai Old Fort
