Denglou Cape

　　(?蛭蚕楣?Denglou Cape, formerly called Weijiao, is situated on the southwestern coast of Xucheng Town, approximately 2 to 3 kilometers southeast of the Denglou work area of Xuwen Salt Farm. It is surrounded by sea on three sides, with an angular sandy beach extending into the ocean. This cape faces Lingao Cape of Hainan Island across the strait, which is 12 nautical miles wide, making it a crucial maritime passageway. There are dangerous reefs and hidden rocks in the southwestern and southeastern waters of the cape. In the 16th year of the Guangxu reign (1890), a lighthouse was built here, hence its name.

　　The cape covers an area of about 3,000 square meters. Here you’ll find silvery white beaches, delicate seashells, ruins of houses and wells left by foreigners, along with tall green coconuts, lush casuarinas, swaying pandanus, and colorful wildflowers and grasses. The lighthouse, rebuilt after the founding of the People's Republic of China, is cylindrical, 15 meters high, and completely white, resembling a tower made of white jade standing proudly on the cape—majestic and eye-catching. At dawn, when sunlight first touches the sea, the water glows golden, and the cape is bathed in radiant light, creating a magnificent scene. When the setting sun dips and the sky is painted with sunset clouds, the lighthouse flashes, turning the sea surface crimson, casting a dreamy hue over the seawall, salt fields, and treetops, giving an enchanting, serene, and magnificent feel.

　　Here you can enjoy the beautiful views at dawn and dusk. Looking out over the southwestern sea, you may sometimes witness the unique “wave trains.” These wave trains, several miles long, resemble silver dikes, one after another, rolling in from the distance over the sea—a truly spectacular sight.

　　The origin of the name Denglou Cape is precisely due to the ancient presence of a lighthouse here. But this lighthouse, besides its geographical significance, also carries a heavy historical weight. During the Opium Wars, Denglou Cape was already a vital shipping route, catching the attention of foreign invaders. The Xuwen County Annals from the 3rd year of the Xuantong reign of the Qing Dynasty records: “The lighthouse, located 90 li southwest of the county at Jiaowei Zui, was built by French merchants in the 16th year of Guangxu. Even during fierce storms at night, its light remained bright, guiding ships on their way.” In addition to constructing the lighthouse, the French also built a Western-style house 25 meters northwest of the lighthouse, spanning 20 meters in width and 7.4 meters in depth, consisting of seven rooms. In 1938, to resist Japanese invasion, the Xuwen County government destroyed the lighthouse. Later, the Western house was also torn down. According to local legends, the French once employed around twenty to thirty local villagers, both men and women, to serve them, and descendants of Sino-French mixed heritage still live in the area today. Now, the remaining broken walls stand silently, telling the story of the world’s changes.

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　　In 1980, relevant departments rebuilt a 16-meter-high cylindrical lighthouse. In March 1994, the provincial maritime bureau constructed a ten-story, 36-meter-high hexagonal lighthouse. This lighthouse has become the southernmost geographical landmark on the Chinese mainland.

　　Denglou Cape and Hainan’s Lingao Cape face each other from afar, 12 nautical miles apart, jointly guarding the western exit of the Qiongzhou Strait. A touching local legend among fishermen says: Long ago, there lived a beautiful fishing girl at Lingao Cape who deeply loved a handsome young man from Denglou Cape. They gazed across the sea, singing heartfelt love songs carried by the ocean waves, but were unable to meet due to the separation by the sea. So they resolved to build a causeway to connect Denglou Cape and Lingao Cape. Battling wind and waves, they moved stones and shifted reefs, their hands and feet worn raw, until they finally moved the turtles and seabirds. The turtles carried large stones on their backs, and the birds brought small pebbles in their beaks, layer upon layer, building a rocky causeway that stretched further into the sea. Just as it was about to close the gap, a sea patrol demon saw it, conjured up wind and rain, and destroyed the nearly completed causeway. The lovers died in the sea out of sorrow. The man turned into Denglou Cape, the woman into Lingao Cape, gazing at each other year after year.

　　Denglou Cape was anciently called “Guandao,” symbolizing its role as a strategic coastal defense post. The unique tidal patterns here are the main attraction for visitors to this cape and nearby fishing villages. The tide here is particularly strong, and visitors can observe differing tidal movements. When the tide is full, it moves rapidly and powerfully, while at low tide, it flows more gently. The tide here also features different rhythms in the morning and evening. The morning tide is more uniform and rhythmic, while the evening tide shows more variation and contrast. Local residents describe it as “different tides in the morning and evening.” The water flow in the morning is relatively straight and smooth, while in the evening, it becomes more dynamic and crisscrossing, forming what is called the “tide pattern.” Some tourists even say, “There are two seas here!” Locals explain, “The morning and evening tides are different.” The water temperature and clarity also vary. The morning tide is relatively cool and clear, while the evening tide is warmer and slightly murkier. Someone joked, “There’s something mystical about the sea here. There are differences between the morning and evening, and also between the northern and southern parts.”

　　Denglou Cape bears the marks of the liberation of Hainan. On March 5, 1950, at 19:00, a reinforced battalion of 799 brave soldiers from the 352nd Regiment of the 118th Division of the 40th Army, led by Division Chief of Staff Gou Zaisong and Battalion Commander Chen Chengkang, set off from here aboard 13 wooden sailboats operated by 80 boatmen including Lin Wangbing, firing the first shots in the naval campaign to liberate Hainan. Before departure, a stirring oath-taking assembly was held between the army and civilians, who drank ceremonial wine together. General Han Xianchu of the 40th Army personally came to see them off at the seaside and presented the crossing warriors with a red flag inscribed “Heroic Crossing Battalion.” At 14:00 on March 6, the reinforced battalion successfully landed at Baimajing on Hainan Island. Then on March 26, at 19:00, 2,937 officers and soldiers of the 352nd Regiment of the 118th Division of the 40th Army, led by Deputy Commander Ma Baishan of the Qiong Column and Political Department Director Liu Zhenhua, boarded 81 wooden sailboats operated by over 400 boatmen from Xuwen, setting off from here again. After intense fighting, at dawn the next day, they successfully landed by force at Yubao Port in Chengmai County, Hainan.