Qixing Coastal Defense Site Introduction
The Songbailing area is situated at a high elevation, where the National Army established numerous artillery positions of varying sizes for war defense purposes. However, most of these artillery positions have been idle for many years. The local township office applied to the Ministry of National Defense to repurpose the military air defense bunkers into tourist attractions, allowing visitors to experience a different leisure landscape. In the early days, to protect the strategic military site of the Zhuoshui River, the Ministry of National Defense built a total of 11 positions and command posts (including 27 bunkers and 3 buildings) in the Songbailing area. Now, due to the cessation of military use, the scattered bunkers among tea gardens have become unique local landscapes. To facilitate the transformation of the bunkers and align with local tourism development, they have been re-planned and renovated into a distinctive group of bunkers. Shoutian Temple is the most important religious center in the area and serves as a significant tourist resource in Songbailing. The temple worships the main deity Xuantian Shangdi, the northern god, with the Big Dipper and Polaris being its representative constellations. The planned route features seven points, and their distribution closely resembles the Big Dipper, echoing the Shoutian Temple and combining with local important resources. Hence, it is named the "Big Dipper Position Park." Each position is reconfigured based on its attributes of Yin and Yang, the five elements, zodiac signs, and colors. Existing military buildings have been transformed using elements such as plantings, pavements, stone arrangements, sculptures, and collages, along with colorful paintings to express the characteristics of each position. The seven bunkers near Shoutian Temple have been re-planned to become a new landscape within the tea gardens. Since Xuantian Shangdi worshipped at Shoutian Temple is the northern god, and the Big Dipper and Polaris are its representative constellations, the bunkers are designed to correspond with the Big Dipper and Shoutian Temple, incorporating the "Five Elements" and "Big Dipper." The exteriors of the seven bunkers are colored in white, green, yellow, black, red, gray, and purple to express their respective characteristics. They are named: "Yao Guang," "Kai Yang," "Yu Heng," "Tian Quan," "Tian Xuan," "Tian Ji," and "Tian Shu." Travel Tip: Although the roads in this area are narrow, they are suitable for cycling. Visitors can enjoy riding along the seven bunkers, each with a unique style, to experience their historical significance. The first bunker features a conspicuous sign for "Big Dipper Position Park," with a black-and-white camouflage design. The interior showcases stalactite-like formations, reportedly designed to reduce the impact of artillery vibrations on the bunker’s interior. While other bunkers share similar appearances, the landscape designs outside vary greatly, providing another highlight for visitors in this area.
