Zhao'kangtun and Yandun Ancient Sites

Zhao'kangtun and Yandun Ancient Sites

The Zhao'kangtun and Yandun Ancient Sites are protected cultural heritage sites of Pingtan County.

The Zhao'kangtun and Yandun Ancient Sites are located on Xiyandui Mountain, west of Zhao'kangtun Village, Baiqing Township, Pingtan County, Fujian Province. There are two sites, one larger and one smaller, standing side by side from east to west. Both are oval-shaped stone structures, with a remaining height of 2 meters. The base of the western site has a diameter of 5 meters from east to west and 4 meters from north to south, while the upper part measures 4 meters from east to west and 3.2 meters from north to south. The fire vent faces south and is a rectangular opening, 1.2 meters high and 0.6 meters wide. The eastern site has a base diameter of 4 meters from east to west and 3.4 meters from north to south, with an upper diameter of 3.7 meters from east to west and 2.9 meters from north to south. Its fire vent faces north. The two sites are 7 meters apart. To the north lies the ruins of the watchman’s residence, featuring a passageway facing south, with a flagpole stand preserved at the back in good condition.

During the Japanese pirate raids in the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, local villagers built these smoke signal mounds on the mountaintop as a warning system. In the 15th year of the Yongli era (the 18th year of the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, 1661 AD), the Qing government issued the "Sea Evacuation Edict," forcing coastal residents to relocate inland. All villages and houses were destroyed, and the smoke mounds were likely abandoned around this time.

The sites were discovered during a 1985 cultural relics survey and were designated as county-level protected cultural heritage sites in 1988.

Baiqing Township: A township under the jurisdiction of Pingtan County. Established as Guocai Township in 1956, it was incorporated into Pingtan Commune in 1958. In 1981, Baiqing Commune was split off, and in 1984 it was re-designated as a township. Located at the northern tip of Haitan Island, it is surrounded by sea on three sides and is 15 kilometers from the county seat. The area covers 8.8 square kilometers with a population of 19,000. It administers ten village committees: Qingfeng, Baisheng, Baisha, Fengtian, Daifeng, Yutang, Zhao'kang, Guocai, Nanpan, and Dongzhan. The main industry is fishing, with famous seafood products such as abalone and thick shell mussels being abundant. ... Baiqing Township detailed information++