Magong City (Shun Cheng Gate) Introduction
In the 12th year of the Guangxu era of the Qing Dynasty (1886), Governor Yang Changjun of Fujian-Zhejiang and Taiwan Prefect Liu Mingchuan personally came to Penghu to survey the terrain and decided to build Magong City for defense purposes. The construction was supervised by General Wu Honglu of Penghu. Work began in December of the following year, the 13th year of Guangxu (1887), and after 1 year and 10 months, it was completed in October of the 15th year of Guangxu (1889). This was the last city wall built by the Qing Dynasty in Taiwan, and the construction of Magong City made Penghu the military, economic, and administrative center all in one. Magong City is also known as "Penghu City" or "Guangxu City," making it the last official fortress built in Taiwan. During the Sino-French War, Penghu was easily captured by French forces, and after the peace talks, Taiwan Prefect Liu Mingchuan and Governor Yang Changjun of Fujian-Zhejiang discussed defense and deemed it necessary to build a military defensive city in Penghu. Thus, it was overseen by General Wu Honglu of Penghu and completed in the 15th year of Guangxu (1889). The scale of Magong Ancient City is 789.2 zhang, 2 chi, and 5 cun around its perimeter, with 570 merlons, a wall height of 1 zhang and 8 chi connected to the merlons, a foundation height of 3 chi and 5 cun, and a thickness of 2 zhang and 4 chi. Magong Ancient City has six city gates: the East Gate is called Chaoyang Gate, the Small West Gate is known as Shuncheng Gate, the South Gate is called Jixu Gate, the North Gate is named Gongchen Gate, the Small South Gate is known as Yingxun Gate, and the West Gate does not have a city tower. Today, Shuncheng Gate is the Small West Gate. Unlike typical city walls that have square holes reserved for observation and shooting, Shuncheng Gate's wall is constructed from locally produced volcanic rocks, with an upper part made from ancient stones. Between the two levels, there is decorative brickwork, and the surface is coated with oyster shell ash for protection. Currently, the remaining ruins of Magong City include only Shuncheng Gate, Daxi Gate, and part of the western wall, with Shuncheng Gate being the only preserved gate structure among the remains, designated as a second-level historical site. [Recommended Stay Time] 0.5 hours
Magong Fortress (Shun Cheng Gate)
