Lieyu Fort City

Lieyu Fort City

Lieyu Fort City is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Guangdong Province.

The Ming Dynasty Nan'ao Lieyu Fort City is located on North Lieyu Island in Shen'ao Town, Nan'ao County. It was built in the third year of the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty (1623) by Li Guobing, the deputy commander of Nan'ao. The fort consists of three parts: the upper battery, the lower battery, and a watchtower. It was constructed using shell-lime sand and compacted earth. The upper battery was situated midway up the mountainside of Lieyu Island, originally standing 1 zhang 2 chi (approximately 4 meters) high, with a perimeter of 18 zhang 2 chi (approximately 59 meters), and had five gun ports. In the 56th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1717), it was rebuilt into a square artillery battery. The fort structure measures 54.5 meters in length, 17 meters in width, with walls 1.7 meters thick, and reaches a maximum height of 5.5 meters. It includes five gun ports, 18 barracks, 15 large cannons known as “Da Jiangjun Pao,” eight large flying cannons known as “Da Shenfei Pao,” and was manned by 60 soldiers. The lower battery is located on a coastal terrace about 100 meters west of the upper battery. Originally 8 chi (approximately 2.7 meters) high with a circumference of 16 zhang (approximately 53 meters), it had 10 gun ports. It was later reconstructed into a round artillery battery with an outer diameter of 17 meters, 2.5 meters high, and housed 12 cannons. The walls were equipped with battlements. The watchtower is situated on a mountain peak southwest of the upper fort, approximately 80 meters away. It was originally 3 zhang (approximately 10 meters) high, with a circumference of 6 zhang (approximately 20 meters), surrounded by a wall 8 chi (approximately 2.7 meters) high and 12 zhang (approximately 40 meters) long, manned day and night by 20 soldiers on rotating shifts. During the Qing Dynasty, it was converted into a smoke beacon tower used to observe enemy movements and send alerts by smoke signals. Behind the lower battery stands a stele inscription, 2 meters tall and 0.8 meters wide, titled “Record of the Lieyu Fort City.” It documents the purpose, scale, personnel, funding, and timeline of the fort’s construction. The first line of the inscription reads, “The Lieyu Fort City was built to guard against the Red Barbarians,” indicating that its primary purpose was to defend against Dutch colonial invasions. The fort served as a deterrent to enemies. During the Tianqi era, Dutch colonial ships took advantage of victories at Liaoluo and Gulei, advancing three vessels directly toward Nan'ao. Upon seeing the fortified Lieyu and its alert defenses, they hesitated for three days before retreating without engaging. In the sixth year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty (1633), 20 Dutch warships suddenly launched a pincer attack on Nan'ao. The fort returned fire and employed clever tactics—using five decoy ships to set three enemy ships ablaze—inflicting heavy losses and forcing the invaders to flee in disarray. Today, parts of the lower battery’s walls are damaged, the upper battery remains relatively intact, though a section of approximately 10 meters on the eastern wall has collapsed.

In June 1989, the People's Government of Guangdong Province designated it as a cultural heritage protection unit.

Shen’ao Town: Shen’ao Town was formed in December 2001 through the merger of the former Longdong Town and Shen’ao Town. It is the only mountainous agricultural town in Nan’ao County, comprising nine villages (communities), with a population of 9,124 and a total area of 44.75 square kilometers.

From January to September 2003, the town’s rural credit cooperative had a total deposit balance of 9.55 million yuan, averaging over 1,000 yuan per person; 53 new residential buildings were reported for construction, with a total floor area of 7,065 square meters and an investment of approximately 4.6 million yuan; in the autumn of 2003, the full payment rate for primary and secondary school students reached 90%.

The town has a total of 25,000... More detailed information about Shen’ao Town++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units