Shanghai Wusong Ancient Fort

Shanghai Wusong Ancient Fort

Wusongkou boasts treacherous terrain and serves as a strategic gateway to China’s southeast coast. During the Qing Dynasty, five artillery batteries were constructed here: East, West, South, North, and Shizilin.

In the seventeenth year of the Ming Chongzhen era (1644), after the Manchu Qing army entered the Central Plains, they took control of most of the country. As the gateway to the Yangtze River, Wusong became a fiercely contested area over a long period. From the eighth year (1651) to the twelfth year of the Qing Shunzhi era, fleets led by Ming generals Zhang Mingzhen and Zhang Huangyan launched four assaults on Wusong, breaching into the Yangtze River three times. In the sixteenth year of Shunzhi, Zheng Chenggong led a large army up the Yangtze, advancing all the way to Nanjing, which greatly shook the Qing government. In the seventeenth year of Shunzhi, Lang Tinzuo, the Viceroy of Liangjiang, was ordered to construct a fort at Yangjiazui on the western bank of the Huangpu River in Wusong. In the fifty-seventh year of the Kangxi era, another fort was built on the opposite bank of Yangjiazui. The two forts faced each other across the river—the one on the eastern bank was called the East Fort, while the older one on the western bank was renamed the West Fort.

In the twenty-second year of the Daoguang era (1842), during the third year of the Opium War, on the early morning of the eighth day of the fifth lunar month, British invaders launched a massive attack on the Wusong Forts. Chen Huacheng, the Viceroy of Jiangnan Navy, fought to the death against the British forces here. The West Fort served as the main defensive position at Wusongkou, equipped with 175 cannons, while the East Fort had only around 20 cannons and functioned as a supplementary position. Due to the cowardice of Niu Jian, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, who fled the battlefield, Chen Huacheng was left to fight alone, leading to the fall of the West Fort into enemy hands. With the loss of Wusong, the gateway to the Yangtze was wide open, allowing the invaders to advance unimpeded and eventually forcing the Qing government to sign an unequal treaty in Nanjing.

After the Opium War, the coastal defense situation changed, and defensive facilities were concentrated along the western bank of the Huangpu River. The East Fort was not rebuilt, but the West Fort underwent multiple renovations. The reconstruction followed Western designs, featuring wooden pontoon bridges and outer walls made of lime-clay mixture. Later, earthen walls were built on three sides, stretching 550 meters in length and standing 4–6 meters high, with battlements 2–3 meters tall. Inside, there were 11 concealed artillery positions, 3 exposed artillery platforms, 2 main ammunition depots, 11 smaller magazines, 2 shell storage rooms, 46 barracks, and a total of 12 large and 6 small cannons.

During the Sino-French War in the tenth year of the Guangxu era, French warships brazenly entered Shanghai Harbor, intercepting Chinese grain transport and civilian vessels, and bombarding Chinese patrol boats. After the war, the North Fort was added at the northern end of Wusong’s Nanshitang in the twelfth year of Guangxu, forming a strategic triangle with the West Fort. In the fifteenth year of Guangxu, the Shizilin Fort was built along the Yangtze Riverbank in Yuepu.

In the twenty-sixth year of Guangxu, Shen Dunhe, head of the Self-Strengthening Army’s garrison office, ordered soldiers to demolish the West Fort by explosives. This act drew widespread public condemnation, prompting officials to submit memorials denouncing him. Shen Dunhe was dismissed from his post and exiled to the frontier. The West Fort was ultimately reduced to ruins. Following its destruction, the Qing government instructed Viceroy of Liangjiang Liu Kunyi to “promptly restore defenses and revitalize this key southern stronghold.” Liu assigned Ban Guangsheng, commander of the Sheng Army, to build a new fort at the southern end of Wusong’s Nanshitang, known as the South Fort. This connected with the North Fort, stretching 750 meters in total and collectively referred to as the Wusong Forts. In the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period, the Wusong Forts were heavily garrisoned by troops stationed in Shanghai. During the January 28 Incident in the 21st year of the Republic (1932), soldiers of the 19th Route Army valiantly defended the forts, repelling repeated Japanese attacks. Japanese aircraft and artillery bombarded the Wusong Forts relentlessly, destroying both the North and South Forts. In 1973, the “370” National Defense Project was built on the site of the former fortifications.

Location

No. 1 Youyi Road, Baoshan District, Shanghai, China