Zhangzhou South Fort

Zhangzhou South Fort

The military historic site of South Fort in Gangwei Town, Longhai City, is located on Jingtai Mountain at the southeastern protruding part of Yuzaiwei in Shikeng Village, overlooking the sea. The fort faces the East China Sea, close to the mainland, and commands a commanding view over the vast maritime expanse. It stands opposite Hulishan Fort on Xiamen Island, forming a strategic pincer defense that guards the Xiamen harbor and safeguards the southeastern gateway of the motherland, often referred to as the “Southern Lock and Key.”

Yuzaiwei South Fort was built in the spring of 1840 during the 20th year of the Daoguang reign in the Qing Dynasty by Deng Tingzhen, the Viceroy of Min-Zhe, in coordination with national hero Lin Zexu’s anti-opium campaign in Guangdong, as part of preparations for national defense against foreign aggression. By 1891, during the 17th year of the Guangxu reign, the fort was expanded and outfitted with Krupp cannons manufactured in Germany, including one primary cannon and three secondary cannons, making them “sister cannons” to those at Xiamen’s Hulishan Fort. The fort complex included a fortress, barracks, trenches, an ammunition depot, and a training ground. The citadel was constructed from rammed earth in an elliptical shape, with a perimeter of about 240 meters, walls 6 meters high, and 1.5 meters thick. The ramparts featured crenellations, battlements, and gun ports. Despite more than a century of weathering, the walls remain solid and intact. The three secondary cannons have long been dismantled, and the primary cannon was removed in 1953 during the construction of the Xiamen Gaoqi–Jimei Seawall.

In June 1840, when the Opium War broke out, British invasion commander Charles Elliot led over 40 warships to attack Guangdong. After encountering strong resistance from Chinese troops and civilians and finding no weakness to exploit, he redirected his fleet to harass Xiamen. On July 2 and August 22, British ships intruded into Qingyu Mouth and Xiamen’s inner harbor respectively, where they were met with brave counterattacks from local forces. On the afternoon of August 24, a British fleet pursued a Chinese merchant ship with three sampans. Witnessing this, the soldiers at Yuzaiwei South Fort, filled with righteous indignation, aimed their cannons at the British ships and launched fierce strikes, demonstrating the might of the Chinese people. The British ships were forced to retreat. After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in July 1937, Japanese invaders attempted to seize Xiamen Island, a critical frontline defense post in China’s southeast. On August 24, they evacuated the last batch of Japanese nationals from Xiamen and subsequently declared a naval blockade of southern Chinese waters, including Xiamen. At around 4 a.m. on September 3, Japanese forces brazenly dispatched several warships, including the “Hatsukaze” and “Wakatake,” to provoke near the lighthouse of Dadan Island. The patriotic officers and soldiers of Yuzaiwei South Fort, who had long prepared themselves for resisting Japan and defending the nation, under the command of gunnery officer He Rongguan, furiously fired at the Japanese ships, firing the first shots of the Xiamen region’s resistance in the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Baise Fort on Xiamen Island also responded with fire. Though better armed, the Japanese ships retaliated, filling the battlefield with smoke and shrapnel. Undeterred, the brave defenders fought harder. The artillery duel lasted over half an hour until black smoke billowed from the midsection of the “Wakatake,” which began to sink. Two accompanying Japanese ships hurriedly moved closer to support and then fled toward Taiwan with the damaged vessel.

Time flies. The smoke of the Opium War and the War of Resistance has long dissipated, but South Fort—this historic structure that played a role in a century of anti-imperialist struggles—still stands firmly along the southeastern maritime frontier of the motherland, serving as a site for public visitation and remembrance.

Source: Fujian Provincial Tourism Development Commission