Eastern Dragon Horse Introduction
The large bell bowl and wooden fish stone towers located on the east and west sides of Jiabei Island's harbor are not ordinary structures, but serve as the stone guardians of Jiabei, commonly known as "East Bell, West Knock." The stone guardians of Penghu are similar to the Wind Lion Gods of Kinmen, representing a unique symbol of faith developed by island residents. Surrounded by the sea, with winter northeast monsoons lasting up to six months and poor soil making agriculture difficult, these adverse natural conditions, combined with past epidemics perceived as caused by malevolent spirits, led ancestors to seek peace and thus the culture of Penghu's stone guardians emerged. Stone guardians take various forms, including towers, stone tablets, or talismans, usually situated around villages, by the sea, on hillsides, and along roadsides. They are not only a part of Penghu people's spiritual life but also a distinctive cultural feature of the area. The two stone guardians at Jiabei Harbor are said to have been instructed in a dream by Guanyin Bodhisattva to the village elders to build them for the protection of residents and to promote local prosperity. Thus, on the eastern side of the harbor, a yellow stone tower known as "Dragon Horse" was constructed, while a red wooden fish stone tower was built on the western side, with inscriptions on the rocks beside the towers stating "Eastern Dragon Horse Strengthens the Land and Rivers" and "Western Realm, Sea Clouds Fly with the Sun and Moon" to highlight the spirit of Jiabei. The two stone guardians correspond to the "Evening Drum" and "Morning Bell" of the Guanyin Temple on the island, becoming important cultural heritage of Jiabei.
