China Coastal Defense Museum

China Coastal Defense Museum

The China Coastal Defense Museum serves as a base for patriotic education.

The China Coastal Defense Museum is situated along the coastal area to the southeast of Huangzuotou on Daishan Island, which has long been an important coastal defense gateway in China’s eastern coastal regions. When the stationed troops withdrew in 2004, they left behind numerous military structures such as barracks, trenches, tunnels, bunkers, and ammunition depots. Construction of the museum commenced at the end of 2005, with the planned site covering an area of approximately 46,280 square meters. An 800-square-meter exhibition hall was newly built and the museum officially opened to the public on July 7, 2006. It was inscribed by a former Minister of National Defense — a General. The construction of the museum received strong support from the Zhejiang Provincial Military District, the East Sea Fleet, the Communist Youth League Zhejiang Provincial Committee, and the China National Defense Education Center. It has also established friendly ties with the 15th Regiment and the 9th Battalion stationed in Daishan, becoming a base for patriotic education, national defense education, and science popularization in Daishan County.

The entire park is designed with camouflage green as the main theme color and is divided into four major zones: the central exhibition area, peripheral exhibition area, tunnel exhibition area, and leisure tourism area. These zones are interconnected through terrain, tree species, landscape features, and road layout, utilizing derived visual effects, sound, and image environments to create an organically linked and rationally organized space that accommodates the limitations of the terrain, which is unsuitable for constructing large paved areas.

The central exhibition area’s main building covers 650 m² and features over 600 images and several models, showcasing modern and contemporary coastal defense history, especially that of Zhoushan. The historical materials focus on the coastal defense struggle, supplemented by information on coastal defense strategy, deployment, forces, engineering, and education. Spanning over 600 years of coastal defense history starting from the Ming Dynasty, the main exhibits begin with the late Qing Dynasty’s coastal defenses (from 1840), with an emphasis on the People’s Liberation Army’s post-establishment-of-China coastal defense development. The displays highlight various battles (particularly those resisting foreign invasions), naval construction history, and more. Here, visitors can not only learn about coastal defense knowledge but also see models of six historically significant warships, including Zheng Chenggong’s battleship, the Dingyuan and Zhiyuan warships from the First Sino-Japanese War, as well as the Zhongshan and Chongqing warships. They can even touch 25 authentic artifacts from these vessels, such as ancient chronometers, ship lamps, and ship bells. The auxiliary building, covering 80 m², restores the original barracks area to replicate the living quarters, offices, and command rooms used by soldiers stationed on the island, vividly recreating the daily life and work environment of the military.

The peripheral exhibition area spans around 400 m² and mainly includes real coastal defense scenes, heavy weapons, bunkers, tunnels, and gun emplacements. Various large-scale active or decommissioned real heavy weapons — such as the J-5 fighter jet, twin-mounted 25mm naval guns, and twin-mounted 14.5mm anti-aircraft machine guns — are displayed in an engaging layout, allowing visitors to learn about naval weaponry through physical exhibits.

The Ship Model Pavilion covers 80 m² and is housed in an original military tunnel. With a focus on naval development, it primarily introduces the growth of China’s navy after the founding of the People’s Republic, showcasing 24 models of famous warships from China and abroad, including aircraft carriers, destroyers, cruisers, frigates, landing craft, and submarines.

The leisure tourism area is equipped with facilities such as the East Sea Watchtower, tunnel exploration zone, and battlefield picnic area, providing visitors with a convenient, affordable, and comfortable environment that highlights the museum’s “new, unique, thrilling, and distinctive” features. The tunnel exploration area in the Coastal Defense Museum is one of the more representative among over 500 tunnels in Daishan. Built between the 1950s and 1980s for military use, the tunnel leads to the East Sea Watchtower — the foremost outpost in the East Sea.

According to the development plan, Phase II will introduce a variety of participatory and simulation-based activities. These include setting up virtual shooting ranges and mock beach landing battles on actual warship structures, organizing capture-the-island and jungle combat exercises outdoors, and developing tunnel warfare experiences in the tunnel exhibition area. In the northern bay, a sea fishing leisure zone and tidal viewing spot will be created, while the southern small beach will feature a barbecue campsite. The hillside slopes will be densely planted with camphor trees and shrubs to present an ecological forest landscape, offering visitors a pleasant place for strolling, sightseeing, and recreation. Once fully completed, the Coastal Defense Museum will become a multifunctional modern cultural venue integrating military, historical, cultural, and recreational elements. It will also encompass diverse developments in science education, exhibitions, leisure, tourism, catering, and entertainment, while serving as a base for patriotic and national defense education. This will help establish the tourism brand of “Dongdong – A Seaside Leisure Resort with Unique Island Features,” putting Dongdong’s tourism economy on a healthy development path. Furthermore, it will strongly promote Daishan’s cultural industry and elevate the county’s status and image nationwide.

The 21st century is the ocean century. China is committed to effectively controlling and managing its 3 million square kilometers of maritime territory. Valuing the ocean, facing the ocean, and strategizing for the ocean — strengthening maritime awareness and safeguarding China’s maritime sovereignty and dignity — are the main tasks facing coastal defense construction today. For this reason, the establishment of the China Coastal Defense Museum plays a significant role in promoting patriotic and national defense education.