Ruins of Wutong Ferry Terminal

Ruins of Wutong Ferry Terminal

The Ruins of Wutong Ferry Terminal is a cultural relic protection unit of Xiamen City.

Wutong Ferry Terminal is one of the few ancient ferry terminals still extant in Xiamen. Located on a 300-meter-long cape 300 meters north of Fengtou Community, Wutong Village, Heshan Town, it faces Liuwudian in Tong'an across the sea and has since ancient times served as a vital transportation hub and coastal defense site in the northeast of Xiamen Island. The place name “Wutong” originates from the historical worship of the Five Spirits deity here.

Legend has it that 800 years ago, during the Southern Invasion by Yuan troops, the young Emperor Zhao Bing of the Southern Song Dynasty, along with Chancellor Zhang Shijie and Lu Xiufu, fled southward. They crossed the sea from Tong'an and landed at Wutong Ferry Terminal before proceeding via Dongdu and Songyu to Zhangzhou. This left behind local legends such as the “Holy Relic,” “Holy Spring,” and “Golden Belt Water.”

Wutong Ferry was also known as Wutong Post. In ancient times, officially maintained roads were called official routes, with stations set up along the way. Major stations were called posthouses, and between every ten li, there was a smaller post (铺), staffed with personnel to deliver documents and transport officials. During the Song Dynasty, the Datong Post was established at Dalun Mountain in Tong'an. In the Yuan Dynasty, it was moved to the west gate of the county and renamed Tong'an Post, remaining in use until modern times. The Tong'an Post passed through Xiawei Store and Shenglin before reaching Liuwudian. From Liuwudian, travelers would cross the strait and travel thirty li by sea to Wutong, then continue through Jiaotang and Lianban to reach Hefeng Palace outside Xiamen City, totaling seven posts, with Wutong Ferry being one of them. During the Qing Dynasty, a watchtower and beacon tower were set up near the ferry terminal and guarded by soldiers from the Navy’s Biao Ying Camp.

To this day, the ruins still feature four parallel rows of eighteen stone steps carved into the massive rock slope that juts into the sea, appearing and disappearing with the tides. In 1982, a stone tablet from the Qianlong era titled “Record of the Reconstruction of the Wutong Road Pavilion” was discovered on the nearby beach. The inscription describes how local officials and gentry pooled funds to renovate the road pavilion next to Wutong Ferry. These relics and artifacts are important materials for studying the ancient transportation history of Xiamen.

Designated as a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit in 1982.

Protected area: The entire rock formation where the ferry terminal’s stone steps are located

Wutong Community: Name: Wutong Community Residents' Committee

Address: Dianli Community, Wutong Community, Jinshan Subdistrict, Jinshan District

Postal Code: 361009

Contact: 0592-5215687

Working Hours: Morning (8:00–12:00); Afternoon (Summer: 15:00–18:00; Winter: 14:30–17:30)

Institution Introduction:

Wutong Community of Jinshan Subdistrict, Huli District, Xiamen City, is located at the northeastern tip of Xiamen Island, just 8 nautical miles east of Lesser Kinmen, bordering Zhongzhai and Gaolin communities to the west and … Wutong Community Detailed Information++