Caipu Fort

Caipu Fort

Caipu Fort is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Fujian Province.

Caipu Fort is located in Caipu Village, Huotian Town, Yunxiao County, dating back to the Ming Dynasty.

Description: Initially built in the late Chongzhen era (1628–1644) of the Ming Dynasty, the fort has an approximately elliptical layout, with a perimeter of about 600 meters and covers an area of 2.5 hectares. The walls were constructed using a mixture of lime, clay, and sand, with a base thickness of 0.6 meters, a height of over 4 meters, and reaching up to 10 meters at the highest points. The inner side is equipped with a patrol path, along with numerous arrow slits and watch windows. The fort is surrounded by four gates on the east, west, south, and north sides, each with corner towers that also function as bastions and watchtowers. The east gate includes a barbican; each gate houses a Temple of the Earth God or a City God Temple. Inside the fort, buildings and residences stand closely together amid crisscrossing streets and alleys. Outside the fort, water from the Zhang River is channeled to form a moat about 10 meters wide, with drawbridges at each gate for access. The residence of Zhang Shiliang, situated on the southern side of the fort’s main east-west street, faces northeast and covers an area of about 900 square meters. The residence has three courtyards in succession: the front hall, the main hall, and the rear hall, all seven bays wide and two bays deep, featuring post-and-lintel and through-tenon construction with flush gable roofs. For centuries, Caipu Fort successfully defended against multiple invasions, including those by Japanese pirates, the Taiping Army, Republican-era Guangdong troops, and Japanese puppet raiders, making it an important physical relic for studying the maritime defense history of the province during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

In 2013, Caipu Fort was designated as part of the eighth batch of provincial-level cultural heritage sites by the People's Government of Fujian Province.

Protected area: Extends 10 meters inward and outward from the fort walls, and 10 meters around the perimeter of Zhang Shiliang’s residence.

Caipu Village: Caipu Village is located in the southwestern part of Huotian Town, Yunxiao County, about 5 kilometers from the town government and 5 kilometers from the county seat. It covers an area of 7,000 mu, comprises 2 natural villages, 19 villager groups, 910 households, and 3,755 residents, with 50 party members. The main crops include vegetables and loquats, with an average annual income per capita of 7,300 yuan. The village retains historical relics from the Ming Dynasty, such as Caipu Fort, the former residence of Zhang Shiliang, Dengxian Palace, and the Zhide Chui Fang Archway. … Caipu Village detailed information++

Further reading:

· Eighth Batch of Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites in Fujian Province