Weiyuan battery

Weiyuan Fort belongs to the second line of defense of Humen fortress and is the defense of the dangerous sea pass of Guangzhou. The facilities here are very complete. There are Tibetan soldiers, there are ammunition, and the trenches between the battery are well repaired. On the opposite side is Humen Bay, where there are shells to pick up.

Weiyuan battery

Weiyuan fort is located at the foot of Beiwu mountain in chuanbiyang, the Pearl River exit of China, and in the middle of Nanshan Fort foreshore. With Zhenyuan and Jingyuan, the word "pin" was formed, and with hengdang, Yong'an and Jianggu, the second gateway of Humen coastal defense during the Opium War. There are chain stakes in the water between the fort, which hinder the enemy ships from moving; the fire of the fort interweaves and controls the ocean, forming a solid position on the long and narrow river. Weiyuan fort has 40 guns in total. It was the place where Chaozhou General Li Tingyu and the garrison fought in January and February of 1841. The remains are still alive.

brief introduction

Weiyuan fort is one of the ancient battlefield sites of the Opium War and the main defense position of Humen Haikou. It is also one of the most complete and large-scale ancient fort in China. It is 360 meters long, 6.2 meters high and 7.6 meters wide. The bottom layer is made of granite, and the top layer is made of concrete. There are 40 concealed gun positions on the top of the platform and 4 open-air gun positions along the platform. Behind the dark gun hole, there is a 2m wide open-air gun lane. Behind the gun lane, there is a protective wall more than 2m apart, with gun holes on the wall. In case the enemy goes to the island, they can still resist. There are one official hall, three temples, 12 Military rooms, one pharmacy Bureau and one wharf around the fort. There was a tamping gate at each end of the fort, which controlled the only access at both ends of the fort. The whole Fort faces the sea behind the mountain, with a vast flat land inside. The structure is rigorous and magnificent.

Most of them are still well preserved. The Opium War Museum has set up the Weiyuan Fort management office here, which is open to domestic and foreign tourists all the year round. In 1982, it was announced as a national key cultural relics protection unit. The magnificent view of Humen Bridge can be seen in Weiyuan fort and Naval Battle Museum.

Historical evolution

Weiyuan fort is located in the South China Sea beach of Weiyuan island. The main channel of the Pearl River is under control. In 1835, Guan Tianpei, the commander-in-chief of Guangdong Navy, built the main position of Haikou defense in Humen to strengthen the middle route coastal defense force. In the 19th year of Daoguang (1839), Lin Zexu inspected coastal defense to prevent British invasion. He accepted Deng Tingzhen's and Guan Tianpei's suggestions, consolidated the northeast mountain root and the opposite river center, and locked two river blocking chains to intercept the invading enemy, so that the channel formed a strict fire cross network from east to west, up to down, left to right. On the eve of the Opium War, the British were awed by its defense system. Because Qishan flattered the enemy and dismantled the military defense, the copper gate was destroyed and the door was opened. On February 26, 1841, the British army conquered the crossbar first, and then set up troops to attack Jingyuan fort. At that time, the garrison on the island had no help. Jingyuan fort and its commander Guan Tianpei died in hand-to-hand battle with the enemy. Jingyuan Fort fell down. The British Army transferred its position to attack Weiyuan fort with all its strength. Li Tingyu was forced to retreat because he ran out of ammunition and food. Later, Weiyuan fort was destroyed. It was rebuilt in 1843 and destroyed by the British again on October 16, 1856. It was restored by Governor Zhang Shusheng in 1882.

Tourism characteristics

Weiyuan fort was the largest and most equipped fort in Humen fort during the Opium War. Guan Tianpei, the national hero, was in this fort to command the Guangdong navy to resist the attack of the British Invaders. The film "Opium War" shot by famous director Xie Jin used Weiyuan Fort as one of the live shooting places.

Practical information

Opening Hours

8: 30-17:30 (April October), 8:30-17:00 (November March). Collection time: 8:30-17:00 (April October), 8:30-16:30 (November March).

Ticket information

Free Admission

It's free of charge. You need to enter the museum by ticket. The ticket must be collected in line with valid certificates (ID card, student card, officer card, residence card, senior citizen's card, driver's license, etc.) at the ticket collection office. One person has one card and one ticket (children under 1.4 meters can enter the site free of charge, and senior citizens, soldiers, disabled persons and pregnant women have priority to get tickets).

Suggest playing

1-2 hours

Address: Nanmian village, Huandao Road, Humen Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province

Longitude: 113.625693

Latitude: 22.795137

Tour time: 1 hour

Traffic information: take bus No.2 or No.9 or Dongguan tourist bus L1 to reach Weiyuan Fort management point

Ticket information: free visit

Opening hours: 08:30-17:30 (stop invoice and entrance at 17:00, clear at 17:15 and close at 17:30)

Chinese PinYin : Wei Yuan Pao Tai