Cihou Battery

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Cihou Battery, located in CiJing, Kaohsiung, was designed by English engineers, it presented a western style. The military cantonment was located in the north area, the command post located in the middle area, and there were four cannons sited in the south area. However, the main entrance of Cihou Battery was quite Chinese style and featured the Chinese figure eight gate and the bricked characters, 囍 (meaning double blessing), of different styles on the walls.


In 1683 A.D., after the Ching Empire occupied Taiwan, one Navy Commander and one hundred soldiers were stationed in Cihou, Kaohsiung. And in 1719, there was a great battery and six Chinese cannons at Cihou station. During the Opium War, in 1840, the Ching Empire sited on more gun fort for defense.

In 1874, Japan invaded Hengchun (the south city in Taiwan) and attacked Shihmen Mudang, which was called Mudang Incident. Therefore, the Ching Empire sent the Minister of Navigation Affairs to Taiwan to strengthen coast defenses and also successively assigned the captain of Huai army to site two batteries respectively at Cihou.

When Taiwan was colonized by Japan, the cannons at Cihou Battery were dismantled and fused. After the Restoration of Taiwan, the national military constructed the blockhouse between the battery and the lighthouse. In 1985, Cihou Battery was recognized as a secondary rank historic relic.