Yuhuan Watchtowers

Yuhuan Watchtowers

The Yuhuan Watchtowers are Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Yuhuan Watchtowers (including 9 watchtowers in Lupu, Chumen, and Haishan). On January 7, 2011, they were announced as part of the sixth batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units.

The Chen Fengxiang Watchtower is located in Xiaotang Natural Village, northeast of the former Tianma Commune, and is a distinctive civilian defense structure built during the Republican era.

This watchtower was built by the local enlightened gentry Chen Fengxiang to defend against bandit attacks. In the early years after liberation, it was used as a government office and living quarters before being left unused until today.

The watchtower resembles a small villa in today’s new rural villages. It faces south with a slight eastward orientation (20 degrees east of south), is built with stone and wood, has a four-sloped roof, and stands three stories tall. Originally, wooden stairs connected the floors, and the floor heights are lower than those of ordinary residences, about 7.0 meters high. The structure is wider at the bottom and tapers upward, covering a building area of 62.37 square meters.

The walls are constructed from rough stones, thick and sturdy, with a width of 0.90 meters. The walls of the watchtower feature numerous intricately molded gray-brick windows. Above the arched windows are wooden carvings with sunflower patterns, and above the carvings are decorations in the shape of crowns, indicating that this architectural style incorporates elements of European Gothic architecture.

The walls of the watchtower are dotted with multiple firing holes. Additionally, on the third floor, each outer wall has a protruding structure in the middle for downward firing. Currently, the external outline of the watchtower remains in good condition, and many exquisite gray-brick moldings are well preserved; however, the internal wooden flooring, stairs, and other floor facilities have deteriorated over time and are in a damaged state.

Despite nearly a century of weathering, the Chen Fengxiang Watchtower has been preserved and represents a fusion of Chinese and Western architectural styles.

The Jian Mountain Wu Family Watchtower Built by a County Councilor

The watchtower is built against a hill, facing north with a slight eastward orientation (20 degrees east of north), is built with stone and wood, has three stories, and connects the floors with wooden stairs. It has three bays and covers a building area of approximately 116 square meters. The walls are the same as those of the aforementioned watchtowers, about 0.4 meters thick. It serves both as a residence and a watchtower, the two functions integrated into one. Multiple holes are opened on the walls, including fan-shaped and circular ones.

Reporters observed that the second-floor facade is painted with indigo pigment, some of which has peeled off. In the center are vertically arranged wooden window frames, with solid windows on both sides carved with reliefs of trees, plants, animals, and other patterns, while the outer sides also feature patterns of human faces on animal bodies.

It is understood that the owner of the watchtower, Wu Qifang, was a well-known local businessman and a member of the Yuhuan National Government Council. He was extremely wealthy, and his motivation for building the watchtower was the same as that of the other watchtower owners mentioned.

Even councilors were building watchtowers, which shows how severe the bandit problem was at the time.

The Xiwao Chen Family Watchtower, Once Garrisoned by Militia in the 1960s

The Xiwao Chen Family Watchtower is located at No. 17, Nanmian, Xiwao Fort, Dongxidong Village, Chumen Town, on the south side. It was built in the 35th year of the Republic of China, which is 1946.

According to Chen Qichuan, his father built the watchtower to defend against bandit attacks.

The watchtower faces north with a slight eastward orientation, is built with stone and wood, is wider at the bottom and tapers upward, covers a building area of about 38 square meters, has three stories, and connects the floors with wooden stairs. The floor height is lower than that of typical residences, with an eave height of about 6.4 meters. It has a four-sloped roof covered with small blue tiles. The walls are built from irregular stones, thick and sturdy, with a width of 0.8 meters. The walls of each floor of the watchtower are dotted with multiple firing holes, giving the entire structure a unique appearance.

In the early years after liberation, the watchtower was confiscated by the Dongxidao Brigade and repurposed as their office space.

Around 1960, local militia were stationed here for quite a long period.

In the 1980s, Chen Qichuan bought back the watchtower from the village collective and rented it out to migrant workers.

It is now a cultural relics protection unit.

The Taishan Watchtower is located about a hundred meters northeast of the "Taishan Fortress Ruins" and was built in 1940. It looks like an abandoned woodshed.

At the time, the local Nationalist government built it to maintain local stability and protect the safety of island residents, using it to defend against pirates and bandits coming from the surrounding sea. Locally, it was called a blockhouse. The watchtower was actually a defensive facility within the fortress barracks. According to a local elder, there was a company-sized military force stationed at the fortress at the time.

The watchtower faces north with a slight eastward orientation (32 degrees east of north), is built with stone, and its walls are made of irregular stones, thick and sturdy. It was originally a three-story structure, but more than 20 years ago, the top floor was destroyed by a typhoon. To create a place for stacking firewood, local residents modified the existing structure into the current two-story building, covering a building area of about 33 square meters. Upon entering the interior of the watchtower, reporters saw an empty small coffin and some firewood inside.

From a distance, the watchtower closely resembles an ordinary residence, but each side of the wall is equipped with firing holes, giving it the typical characteristics of a watchtower.

Extended Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units