Houde Fort

Houde Fort

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

Houde Fort is located in Xiangguang Village, Shuikou Town, Dehua County, dating back to the Qing Dynasty.

Description: Built in the mid-Qing period, it was constructed against a mountain slope, with the front lower than the back, forming an overall rectangular layout. It stretches 47.65 meters from east to west and 50.24 meters from north to south, with outer walls about 5 meters high. The structure includes a stone courtyard, fort walls, a lower hall, a central courtyard, wing rooms, corridors, drainage passages, and more, covering a total area of over 3,000 square meters. The stone arch gate is 3.27 meters high, with the characters “厚德” (“Houde,” meaning “Virtuous and Resolute”) inscribed in bold, forceful regular script on the lintel. Inside the fort is a three-story building with a fully wooden structure, featuring three bays and five rooms per floor, a single-eave flush gable roof, and a post-and-lintel system with wing rooms. The rear section is enclosed by wooden railings. A 2.39-meter-wide circular drainage passage runs between the main building and the wing rooms. Along the inner side of the fort walls, there is a continuous horse-riding path approximately 300 meters in circumference and about 3 meters wide. In front of the fort are flagpole pedestals. The outer wall features one main gate on the front and a smaller side gate. Corner towers stand on both sides of the fort’s facade. No windows are found on the ground floor, while the top level has small windows fitted with barred lattices.

Protected Area: An additional 20 meters outward from the fort walls on all sides.

In 2018, Houde Fort was designated as part of the ninth batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Protection Units by the People’s Government of Fujian Province.

Xiangguang Village: Xiangguang Village

Xiangguang Village is located at the northwest corner of Shuikou Town, adjacent to Husan, Baching, Qiuban Villages, and Panlong Village of Nanting Town. The village is home to 422 households and 1,520 residents with surnames including Jiang, Zhang, Wang, Chen, and Zhou. They live in two natural settlements — Xiangguang and Hucun — divided among nine villager groups.

The village covers a land area of 17.11 square kilometers, including 1,426 mu of arable land and 21,787 mu of forest land (of which 1,999 mu are bamboo forests and 2,109 mu are orchards). In addition to growing rice and sweet potatoes, villagers also rely mainly on income from breeding and fruit cultivation. … More details about Xiangguang Village++

Further Reading:

· Ninth Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Fujian Province