Uhr Sha-wan Battery was built in 1880
The Historic Port Of Keelung
Though I have often passed through Keelung - usually as quickly as possible on my way to the beautiful East Coast - I never really gave the old veteran a chance to spin his yarn. But on my last whistle-stop to Keelung, I decided to find out if the city had a story worth telling. Behind its mask of grime and concrete, this sea port has seen the sinking of invading armadas, it has housed victorious conquerors, welcomed battle weary mainlanders, and witnessed the rags to riches development of the island's economy.
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Uhr Sha-wan Battery was built in 1880 |
Like most ports, Keelung was once a strategic player in the nautical ambitions of pirates and European admirals. Dutch forces briefly occupied Taiwan in the 17th century and were later followed by the Spanish in the mid-17th century. Seeing Formosa as an ideal base from which to boost their trade between the Far East and Europe, the Spanish decided to reinforce their claim to Formosa by building forts on the northern shores of the island. However, the result of constant war and the relentless march of time have turned many of these forts into ruble. |
When Formosa was annexed by the
Manchu Dynasty in 1683, Chinese generals set about reinforcing the island
to guard against future invasions by the "barbarians."
The most interesting battery in
Keelung is perched on a hill commanding a magnificent view of the harbor
- Uhr Sha-wan Battery. The battery was built in 1880 when then Governor
of Formosa Yao Lin, reckoning the British would try to capture Formosa,
ordered his forces to build the battery to repel the barbarians.
The governor's foresight was rewarded when the British did indeed try to capture Formosa the following year. For three years the British launched attack after attack on Keelung to no avail and the Keelung harbor became a graveyard for many a British battleship. The port was later captured by the French who destroyed Uhr Sha-wan Battery.
| Although the ruins are all that
remain of the fort, cannons that sunk many a battleship still menacingly
point at the heart of the harbor. On the fort's lower level, a wall that
protected the barracks around a paved courtyard is still waging a battle,
not against marauding pirates, but against the relentlessly encroach of
nature as it tried to capture the ruins' masonry.
On the opposite side of the harbor, Tai Wu-lun Battery, built in the same year as Uhr Sha-wan, protects the west side of Keelung harbor and followed the same fate as its counterpart. However, it was rebuilt during Japan's occupation of Taiwan. |
The largest cannons that used
to defend
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| Walking around the fortifications, one's imagination runs wild with the thought that you are walking in the footsteps of imperial Japanese troops carrying munitions and fighting for their lives. The battery is in excellent condition and visitors can venture into munitions storerooms and bunkers. It's a good idea to bring a torch if you visit Tai Wu-lun Battery because it's pitch black in the rooms. The cannons that used to thunder over the harbor have long disappeared, but even so, the battery, half hidden in the mountain mist, has a haunting atmosphere. | 
Tai Wu-lun Battery was rebuilt during Japan's occupation of Taiwan |
