Niushan Fort

Niushan Fort

Niushan Fort is a Guangzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Niushan Fort is located on Niushan (now part of the Wenchong Shipyard residential area), north of Wuchong in Huangpu District, Guangzhou. The fort is situated by the Pearl River and overlooks the Lion Sea. Originally an earthen fort, it was where Qing Dynasty general Xiangfu and his soldiers died heroically resisting the British in the 21st year of the Daoguang reign (1814). In the 11th year of the Guangxu reign (1885), it was reconstructed into a modern-style fort, comprising seven structures—three at the foot of the hill and four along the ridge. German Krupp-made breech-loading cannons were acquired, and one battalion of the Guangsheng Army under the command of General Li Guangyi was stationed there.

The three forts at the foot of the hill—left, middle, and right—are built in a fan-shaped formation with concrete and lime-sand structures, facing successively southeast, south, and southwest. The central fort is circular, 10 meters in diameter and 2.6 meters deep. Its walls feature 21 ammunition niches designed according to shell shapes, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, resembling half an olive, with the widest part 0.32 meters and a height of 0.66 meters. There are also eight iron brackets on the walls for securing the gun mount. Approximately 3 meters northeast of the gun position, there is a 2.2×0.78-meter staircase entrance leading down to a concealed corridor connecting all gun positions. The corridor has grey brick walls and an arched ceiling, measuring 1.96 meters wide and 2 meters high. The left fort is 13.2 meters from the central one, oval-shaped, with a circumference of 30.06 meters and a depth of 2.3 meters. The surrounding ground has a 2.7-meter-wide drainage slope. Behind the fort is a concealed corridor, with the entrance 2.16 meters high and 2.4 meters wide. The left and right forts are connected to the central fort with similar designs.

Niushan Fort, together with Changzhou Fort and Yuzhu Fort, formed the second line of defense against seaborne approaches to Guangzhou, occupying a highly strategic location.

Construction of Niushan Fort Park began in 2002 and was carried out in two phases, with a total investment of 5.3 million yuan. The park will ultimately be developed into a memorial park and a base for patriotic education.

Hongshan Subdistrict: Located in the central part of Huangpu District, Hongshan Subdistrict administers the area east to the Huodian residential zone, west to the Wenchuan residential zone, south to the Pearl River, and north to Guangyuan East Road. It neighbors Shuidong, Lielian, Wenchong, and Huangpu Subdistricts. Covering an area of 9.7 square kilometers, it has a registered population of 21,634 and a floating population of about 35,000. The subdistrict has six community neighborhood committees and 142 resident groups, with Shuangsha Neighborhood Committee being a transformed community.

Hongshan Subdistrict hosts many resident organizations, including Guangzhou Wenchuan Shipyard Group Co., Ltd., Guangdong Huodian Engineering Co., Ltd., Guangzhou Steel Pipe Factory Co., Ltd., and others… More details about Hongshan Subdistrict ++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Guangzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Units