Shipo Platform Park

Shipo Platform Park

Shipo Platform Park is a commemorative park built around the main attraction of Qilu Fortress. The Qilu Fortress was initially constructed in the 13th year of the Tongzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty and completed in the 5th year of the Guangxu reign (1874–1879), taking five years and costing 80,000 silver dollars. It has a history of over a hundred years. Located at the southeastern corner of old Shantou, it is a circular fortress building. Together with the fortress on Su’an Mountain across the river, it formed a strategic defense line controlling the entrance to Shantou Bay. Its location was highly strategic, making it one of the main coastal defense structures in eastern Guangdong during the Qing Dynasty.

In the mid-19th century, the First and Second Opium Wars broke out one after another. The incompetent Qing government signed the humiliating Treaty of Nanjing and Treaty of Tianjin with major powers such as the United States, Britain, and France, opening China’s doors. Shantou was one of the ten treaty ports at that time. With the influx of foreign merchant ships and lax coastal defenses, Fang Yao, the then Commander-in-Chief stationed in Chaozhou, petitioned the Qing court to build Qilu Fortress under the reasoning of “inadequate border security and the urgent need to defend the Shantou seas.” The Qilu Fortress was mainly constructed using lime shell sand, boiled sticky rice, and brown sugar syrup for compact ramming. Its main gate and gun passages were built with standardized granite blocks, hence it earned the nickname “Stone Fortress.”

Address: No. 20, Haibin Road, Jinping District, Shantou City

Type: Urban Park & Historical Site

Recommended Visit Duration: 1–2 hours

Phone: 0754-88543120

Opening Hours:

(Monday–Sunday) 8:00–18:00

Ticket Information:

Free admission.

Transportation

Take bus routes 19, 103, or 105 directly to Shipo Platform Park.

Shipo Platform Street: At the confluence of the Rong and Han Rivers where they meet the sea, stands an ancient fortress. One can almost envision the once bustling Queshi Bay with its countless sails and cannon fire, echoing with tales of brave resistance against foreign invaders—stories both solemn and distant.

Today, what greets visitors is a magnificent scene beneath the ancient fortress—skyscrapers towering, flowers blooming, businesses thriving, radiating the vibrant pulse of a modern city. Yet beneath it all lies the heartfelt industriousness and pioneering spirit of generations of Shipo Platform residents.

Shipo Platform Subdistrict is in Jinping… More detailed information about Shipo Platform Subdistrict++