Lushun Naval Port

Lushun Naval Port

Lushun Naval Port is situated at the southwestern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula, on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea. The harbor entrance faces southeast, with the majestic Golden Hill to the east, Tiger Tail Peninsula to the west, and the towering Laotie Mountain to the southwest. Surrounded by these natural barriers, Lushun Port boasts a strategically vital and naturally spectacular setting, often hailed as a “marvel under heaven.” The “Lushunkou” or “Lion’s Mouth” refers to the roughly 300-meter-wide strait formed between two facing mountains. Within this 300-meter stretch, there is only a 91-meter-wide navigable channel, allowing the passage of just one large warship at a time—truly a case of “one man can hold the pass against ten thousand.” Strategically, it is easy to defend but hard to attack. Lushun Naval Port resembles a nearly enclosed bay, stretching about 4 kilometers from east to west and 2 kilometers from north to south. The entire bay is divided into eastern and western harbors. The curved mudflat is very much like a tiger’s tail. Lushun Port’s status as a world-famous harbor is closely tied to the presence of this Tiger Tail Peninsula. During the Qing Dynasty, a military training ground and a lighthouse were established on this peninsula. The Tiger Tail Peninsula serves as the dividing line between the eastern and western sections of the bay. The eastern harbor entrance is 75 meters wide, with water depths ranging from 5.6 to 8.8 meters. The surrounding docks feature stone walls and house large shipyards. The western harbor entrance is 220 meters wide, with vast waters that remain ice-free and free from silt, making it a shallow-water port. It offers excellent concealment and wind protection. Coupled with the presence of the Tiger Tail Peninsula, which acts like a natural breakwater, the western harbor resembles an inland lake.

In fact, the strategic difficulty of Lushun Naval Port lies entirely in the mountains on both sides of the channel, where numerous artillery positions are concealed, forming a mutually supporting network. Enemy ships find it very difficult to approach. As a result, during both the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War, Japanese forces were unable to penetrate Lushun by sea. Some military strategists have described it as: “Lushun Harbor, with its natural advantages, is such that even an army of thousands cannot breach it.”

Lushun Naval Port was initially built during the Qing Dynasty. In fact, as early as the Ming Dynasty, Lushun had a naval camp, which conducted patrols from the sea. With the increasing incursions of imperialist powers along the coasts of the Bohai and Yellow Seas, the Qing government sought to strengthen Lushun’s maritime defenses. From 1880 to 1890, over a span of 10 years, the Qing government tasked Viceroy Li Hongzhang of the Beiyang region with establishing the Beiyang Fleet and developing Lushun Port. In Lushun, civilians were conscripted to widen the harbor entrance and channel, dredge the bay, excavate mountains, reclaim land, build fortifications, construct docks, create harbor basins, and purchase warships. These efforts transformed Lushun into a world-renowned military fortress and one of the five major naval ports of the time. Supporting infrastructure included water supply, power supply, small railways, and facilities for mine and torpedo operations. This made Lushun an important base for the Beiyang Fleet. Li Hongzhang was proud of this achievement. In his report approving the construction of the Lushun dockyard, he wrote that the Beiyang Navy was henceforth “formidable enough to dominate all, with the Bohai gateway firmly secured and unshakable.” Yet, this Lushun Port, which Li Hongzhang boasted was an “impregnable fortress,” fell to Japanese invaders by 1894, before the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War. The Qing government had managed Lushun for only 16 years. Over the following decades, it was occupied by Japan and Russia in turn. On April 15, 1955, China and the Soviet Union held a handover ceremony for Lushun Naval Port. Starting April 16, the defense of Lushun Naval Port came under the control of the People’s Republic of China. It now serves as a training base for the North Sea Fleet, with the western harbor currently undergoing expansion.

Suggested Duration

2 hours

Admission

10.00 RMB (includes exhibitions within the park)

Opening Hours

Winter: 08:00–16:00

Spring, Summer, and Autumn: 06:00–18:30

Location