Ruins of Sanpan Fort

Ruins of Sanpan Fort

The ruins of Sanpan Fort are a cultural relic protection unit of Dongtou County.

The ruins of Sanpan Fort are located on a small hilltop between Sanpan Dayao Village and Huangpo’ao Village in Beiao Town, Dongtou County. Surrounded by the sea on three sides, the site commands the strategic throat of Sanpan Harbor and faces the passenger ferry terminal of Dongtou Island across the water. The seaward side of the fort features a surrounding wall with gun ports and covers an area of approximately 50 square meters. After the Opium Wars, as foreign powers invaded and pirates proliferated, the people of Dongtou suffered greatly. During the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1862–1874), the site was placed under the dedicated defense of the Wenzhou-based mid-camp naval guerrilla forces. Two warships were stationed here, along with two officers of the rank of “lun qian ba” and 162 naval infantry troops. A fort was constructed and equipped with three homemade cannons for self-defense.

Source: Wenzhou Museum