Monument to the Souls of the Fallen Soldiers in Penghu

Monument to the Souls of the Fallen Soldiers in Penghu

The Monument to the Souls of the Fallen Soldiers in Penghu is a cultural relic protection unit of Fujian Province.

Monument to the Souls of the Fallen Soldiers in Penghu

Era: Qing Dynasty

Location: Wanshi Botanical Garden, Siming District, Xiamen City

Introduction: In June 1683, during the 22nd year of the Kangxi reign in the Qing Dynasty, Shi Lang led an army of 20,000 troops to attack Penghu, decisively defeating the forces of Zheng Jing commanded by Liu Guoxuan. A total of 329 Qing soldiers were killed in this battle. In 1714, during the 53rd year of the Kangxi reign, Lan Li, the Fujian Provincial Commander-in-Chief of the Land Forces, built a memorial shrine here to honor the fallen soldiers. The original shrine no longer exists, but one stone monument from inside the shrine remains — the Monument to the Souls of the Fallen Soldiers in Penghu. The monument faces west and stands 2.12 meters tall, 0.84 meters wide, and 0.2 meters thick. It is made of granite and bears eight vertically inscribed Chinese characters reading “Monument to the Souls of the Fallen Soldiers in Penghu.” Below the stone tablet is a base, and in front of it lies a stone offering table. Additional cultural relics include a poetic inscription by Li Quan, the Qingxi Vicar, titled “Reflections Upon Visiting the Soldiers’ Shrine in the Middle of Summer, 1733” (1733, 11th year of the Yongzheng reign), as well as a commemorative inscription erected in 1714 by the monk Naguo, documenting how Lan Li and others donated funds to purchase land for the construction of the soldiers’ shrine in Penghu.

Protected area: An area extending 10 meters outward from all sides of the monument and its affiliated relics.

In 2009, the Monument to the Souls of the Fallen Soldiers in Penghu was designated as part of the seventh batch of provincial-level cultural relic protection units by the People’s Government of Fujian Province.

Further reading:

· Seventh Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Relic Protection Units in Fujian