Magong Old City (Shun Cheng Gate) Introduction
In the 12th year of the Guangxu era of the Qing Dynasty (1886), Governor Yang Changjun of Fujian and Zhejiang and Governor Liu Mingchuan of Taiwan personally inspected the terrain in Penghu and decided to build Magong City for defensive purposes. It was overseen by the Penghu General Wu Honglu, and construction began in December of the following year, the 13th year of Guangxu (1887). After 1 year and 10 months, it was finally completed in October of the 15th year of Guangxu (1889). This is the last city wall built by the Qing Dynasty in Taiwan, and the construction of Magong City unified Penghu's military, economic, and administrative centers. Magong City, also known as "Penghu City" or "Guangxu City," is the latest official city built in Taiwan. During the Sino-French War, Penghu was easily captured by French troops. After the treaty, Liu Mingchuan and Yang Changjun discussed defense matters and deemed it necessary to construct a military defense city in Penghu, so it was built under the supervision of the then-Penghu General Wu Honglu and completed in the 15th year of Guangxu (1889). The scale of the Magong Ancient City is 789.2 zhang, 2 chi, and 5 cun around; there are 570 crenels, and the wall height connecting the crenels is 1 zhang and 8 chi, with a foundation of 3 chi and 5 cun thick and 2 zhang and 4 chi deep. Magong Ancient City has a total of six city gates: the east gate called Chaoyang Gate, the small west gate named Shuncheng Gate, the south gate called Jixu Gate, the north gate named Gongchen Gate, the small south gate called Yingxun Gate, and the west gate has no gate tower. The present Shuncheng Gate is the small west gate, and unlike other city walls that usually leave square holes for observation and shooting purposes, Shuncheng Gate's wall is made of volcanic rock produced locally in Penghu, topped with crenels made of old stones. In the middle of the top and bottom layers, there is a decorative layer of bricks, and the surface is coated with oyster shell ash for protection. Currently, only the Shuncheng Gate, the Great West Gate, and part of the western section of the city wall remain of the Penghu Magong City ruins, with the Shuncheng Gate being the only preserved gate tower structure among the remains of Magong Ancient City, designated as a second-class historic site. [Recommended stay time] 0.5 hours.
Maguang Ancient City (Shun Cheng Gate)
