Matang Fort

Matang Fort

Matang Fort is located on Matang Mountain on the south bank of the Yangtze River, about 1.5 kilometers northeast of Matang Town where the Matang Town government is situated. The river here is narrow, the currents are swift, and the terrain is strategically crucial, making it a contested military site throughout history.

In the 20th year of the Daoguang reign (1840), after the British forces attacked Baoshan in Shanghai and advanced towards Nanjing, the Qing government ordered the construction of forts along the river for defense, marking the beginning of the building of Matang Fort.

During the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty, the famed Taiping general Lin Qirong stationed a large military force at Matang Fort and deployed defenses across Hukou, Matang, and Xiangkou.

In the 20th year of the Guangxu reign during the First Sino-Japanese War (1894), Matang Fort was further reinforced. On October 29, 1912, the first year of the Republic of China, Dr. Sun Yat-sen personally visited Matang and inscribed the words “Pillar of the Current” (中流砥柱), which were carved into the rocks at the jetty. These were later destroyed by Japanese aircraft bombings during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The main artillery components of Matang Fort were stripped bare in 1926, the 15th year of the Republic of China, when warlord Sun Chuanfang retreated during the Warlord Era. Only the brick and stone structures of three gun emplacements remained. In 1938 (the 27th year), the fortifications were reinforced again but suffered severe damage after the fall of Matang to the Japanese. Today, only three empty gun emplacements, tunnel shelters built from bricks and stones, and remnants of the three emplacements can still be identified.

The primary gun emplacement is situated at the highest point of Matang Mountain. The emplacement covers an area of 200 square meters. There is an arched air-raid shelter constructed from bricks and stones, which is 3 meters high, 3.5 meters wide, and 30 meters deep. The shelter’s ceiling consists of five layers with 1.5 meters of earthen covering. The entrance connects the north and south sides, with a 100-square-meter gun platform located at the northern entrance.

The secondary gun emplacement is located on the mountainside between the primary and tertiary emplacements. It is a circular earth mound, 2 meters high and 4 meters in diameter, built from piled rocks.

The tertiary gun emplacement is located at the Matang Jetty, beneath which are steep cliffs, forming a strategic response with the primary gun emplacement. The emplacement covers an area of 30 square meters. There is a brick arched air-raid shelter, 3.5 meters high, 4 meters wide, and 35 meters deep. The entrance faces southeast and northwest. Additionally, there is a 600-square-meter training ground.

Matang Town: Matang Town is located in the eastern part of Pengze County, Jiangxi Province, about 16 kilometers from the county seat. It stretches along the Yangtze River in a rectangular shape, approximately 18 kilometers long and 3 kilometers wide, with a total area of 128 square kilometers. It borders Dongzhi in Anhui to the east, connects with Qianmo in Longcheng Town to the south, faces the Yangtze River, and lies opposite Wangjiang in Anhui across the river to the north.

Matang Town has a warm and humid climate with abundant rainfall and mild weather, receiving an average annual precipitation of 1400 millimeters. The area is predominantly hilly, with plains and lakefront regions along the river and lake. About one li to the northeast of the town lies Matang Jishan—also known as Matang Fort Mountain—which guards a key waterway and has been a strategic military location throughout history. … More details about Matang Town++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units