Site of the Humen Forts

Site of the Humen Forts

The Site of the Humen Forts is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit and a patriotic education base.

The sites of the Humen Forts are distributed along both banks of the Pearl River, including Dajiao Mountain, Wushan, and Dahugang Mountain. After Lin Zexu destroyed the opium, together with Admiral Guan Tianpei, he mobilized the public to prepare defenses, reinforcing and constructing 11 forts and installing over 300 cannons. The Shajiao and Dajiao Forts served as the first line of defense, while the Weiyuan, Zhenyuan, Jingyuan, Gugang, Yong’an, and Hengdang Qianshan Platforms formed the second line, and the Dahugang Forts the third. A three-tier defensive system was established. Additionally, between Hengdang Island and Wushan, two wooden rafts and 372 zhang (approx. 1,240 meters) of large iron chains were deployed in the Jiangxi area to block enemy ships. During the Opium War, they repeatedly repelled incursions by British forces.

Most of the current sites of the Humen Forts are managed by the Opium War Museum, except for a few located in Panyu District. Based on their geographical distribution, they are grouped into the relatively concentrated Shajiao Forts and Weiyuan Forts, each administered by their respective management offices. The forts were mostly built with strip stones and mortar made from lime, sand, and yellow clay, featuring either circular or semi-circular plans. They are divided into open-air (exposed) and concealed (underground) types.

The Weiyuan Fort remains largely intact. It is constructed of granite, stretches 360 meters in length, and is 45 meters high, with a total of 25 gun emplacements. Each emplacement is 2.9 meters high, 4.2 meters wide, and 6.6 meters deep. Adjacent to the emplacements are storage rooms and resting quarters for soldiers. The Jiebinghuo Tomb is located about 100 meters north of the Shajiao Forts. It is the burial site of 75 Qing soldiers who bravely died defending the Shajiao Forts during the British attack on January 7, 1841. A stele inscribed with “Jiebinghuo Tomb” was erected in June 1842 (the 22nd year of the Daoguang reign).

The Opium War marked the beginning of modern history. The people of Guangdong left behind many moving stories in their struggle against foreign aggression and in defense of national dignity. After the fall of Humen in 1841, the British captured the northern Guangzhou city forts in May, committing widespread arson, looting, and killings. Led by Wei Shaoguang, villagers from Sanyuanli in the northern suburbs of Guangzhou gathered in front of the Sanyuan Ancient Temple to take an oath, rallying 103 nearby villages. They lured the British troops into Niulangang, where ambushed villagers fought back using swords, spears, hoes, and rakes. Coinciding with heavy rain, the British firearms became damp and malfunctioned, and the muddy rice fields hindered their movement. Over 200 British soldiers were killed, and more than 20 villagers sacrificed their lives. The Yiyong Ancestral Hall at Niulangang was built in 1841 to commemorate the fallen villagers. The Sanyuan Ancient Temple has since been converted into the Sanyuanli Anti-British Struggle Memorial Hall.

Location

10 kilometers south of Humen Urban Area, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, Shajiao Mountain

Humen Town: Located on the eastern bank of the Pearl River Estuary, Humen covers an area of 178.5 square kilometers, administers 29 community residents' committees, has a registered population of 124,000, and a resident population exceeding 500,000. As a key southern town, Humen boasts highly developed transportation with convenient access via land, water, and air: maritime transport includes the Hongye Container Terminal and the planned Shajiao Hezai Port, both approved by the State Council as Class I ports, connecting to ports in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and other southern Chinese regions; air transport is accessible with Guangzhou Airport to the north, Shenzhen Airport to the south, and Zhuhai Airport to the west; road transport includes the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Zhuhai Expressway, S256 Provincial Road... More detailed information about Humen Town++