Wulu Fort Introduction
Following the winding Southern Cross-Island Highway to the Wulu Village, following the signs along a small path leads to the Wulu Artillery Fort hidden deep in the mountains. Two century-old cannons sit at the high point, offering a panoramic view of the expansive Wulu Village, Wulu Gorge, and the distant, rolling Central Mountain Range. The excellent visibility and weathered artillery serve as testimony to a history filled with blood and tears during the anti-Japanese struggle. During the Japanese colonial period, in order to centrally manage the dispersed Bunun villages in the mountains, the Japanese enforced management and confiscation of firearms and ammunition, leading to fierce clashes, with the Wulu Incident being the most representative. In 1927, the Japanese opened the old trail from Xinwu to Wulu, transporting Russian cannons captured in the Russo-Japanese War, and constructed the Wulu Fort at the high point to suppress the resisting Bunun people. At that time, forts were also established in nearby Saku (Dalun) and Matingulu (Motian). After the end of World War II and Japan's unconditional surrender, the forts in the other two locations no longer exist, leaving only these two century-old cannons behind Wulu Elementary School, which, accompanied by beautiful scenery, silently narrate the history of the Bunun people’s struggle to defend their homeland against Japanese aggression.
