Keelung Military Forts From the 1600’s- Taiwan

Keelung was occupied by the French army for almost a year during the Sino-French War (1884-85). The war was triggered by France’s attempt to colonize Vietnam. After the war the fortifications were reconstructed and expanded to protect the important harbor.

If you are interested in the events of the Sino-French War visit Fort Ershawan (二沙灣炮臺). It is located on a hill east of the harbor and offers a great view over it. It was built in 1841 during the first Opium War to prevent a possible British landing in Keelung and modernized in 1884 in preparation for a French landing. During the French invasion, it served as a command post for Chinese General Liu Mingchuan, but was destroyed on 5 August 1884 by the bombardment of three French warships and then captured by the French. It was rebuild, but not further modernized after the Japanese takeover.

Today, most of the fortress is used as a park. Its a great place to enjoy the view over the harbor.

The second of the 7 historic forts is located over a bridge onto a small island.

Sheliao East Fort

Located on the wonderful Heping Island, there are actually two Sheliao Forts. The western fort is still used to this day by the military and only the eastern fort is available for public viewing. This fortress is one of the older ones, being built in 1626, then modified by the Chinese and then again by the Japanese. It was designed to control the Keelung Islet and it makes for a unique sight as nature has begun to reclaim the location. While it’s admittedly one of the smaller forts around Keelung, its worth a visit since its easily accessible if you’re on a day-trip to Heping Island.

The other 5 forts are scattered out around the area and i unfortunately didn’t have time to visit what i dod see was great. I would recommend to anyone in the area to explore them.

Enjoy the video!

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