Light House Cyclopedia

Question 32：The legendary oldest lighthouse in Taiwan?

A:Wanggao Tower

　　On April 1, 1883, Robert Hart, the guest Minister of the Customs of the Ching Dynasty completed the acknowledged first lighthouse Eluanbi Lighthouse at the south tip of Taiwan recorded in history. Most didn’t people know it was not the first lighthouse in Taiwan until now. The oldest lighthouse in Taiwan Island should be the Wanggao Tower (the observatory tower), built by Tamsui residents, storekeepers and vessel owners in 1796. It was also the only lighthouse built by local people. The tower was made of stone at the northwest tip at Shalun (also called the northwestern cape of Danhai area). During the end of Emperor Cianlong Period in the Ching Dynasty, vessels often mistook accumulate shoals on the northeast of Tamsui Harbor as the Tamsui port, so there were frequent wrecks. To solve this problem, locals built a three-storey stone tower on the sand hill where there are sandy beaches and dunes below 3 meters high all around. The observatory tower was the highest building there at that time. At night, the stone tower shone to guide vessels to sail to the south of the tower and then enter the harbor safely. Every vessel would donate money to the Fuyou Temple for both blessing on safety and as the maintenance fee for the lighted tower. The lighthouse keeper burnt peanut oil to lit lamps every night and guarded the tower. Western vessels called the tower Black Beacon at that time. The lighted tower still existed during the Sino-French War, according to the historical records. At noon on October 8, one signaler climbed to the tower top and waved his arm to warn soldiers that ammunition ran out and urgent appeal of retreat. The event was recorded in one British merchant who lived in Tamsui then. The tower lost its functionality and was collapsed without repair after two western-style lighthouses were built by Liu Mingchuan in 1888 at Youchekou and the Tamshui Junior High School. In spring of 1945, at the end of War of the Pacific, the Japanese garrison troops rebuilt the tower as the temporary military fortress against the Allied Forces. Therefore, the tower was ruined during the war without relics. We could not find its site now. There is almost no record about the tower in ancient documents. We could only find on invaluable monument Wanggao Tower Inscription Stone at the inner wall on the right side of the front hall of Fuyou Temple. The stone, measured around 90 cm high and 45 cm wide, was made by Haung Cong and other twenty-four donators. The stone was inscribed with the reasons to build this tower, names of the donators, persons in charge of the maintenance, and the maintenance methods in detail. The inscription is as blow, Inscription Stone of Wanggao Tower Wanggao Tower was built for security guard on the coast. However, the Tamsui Harbor was an important import and export spot, but there were a so-called false port in the northeast. Vessels easily ran against the dangerous shoal and sunk before the harbor at night. So local people and vessel owners donated to build one observatory tower Wanggao Tower on the so-called false port (near the sand hills). Monks and hired workers guarded the lighted beacon. They were responsible for lighting fires to shine over the sea so as to guide vessels to sail southward safely to the Tamsui Harbor. The import contribution and maintenance fee were charged when mooring the port. It was a win-win strategy to secure the vessels and maintain the lighted beacon. Established in 1796. Though the inscription stone recorded the detailed history of the tower, it didn’t mention the size and dimension of the tower. We thought Shalun Lighted Beacon, which was recorded in history documents should be the Wanggao Tower. We have no further solid evidence because the record of the Shalun Lighted Beacon is also simple, and the calling “Wanggao Building” never appeared there. According to description from local senior citizens, Wanggao Tower was measured around 8 meters high, and divided with the platform and altar of equal heights. The top tier was so narrow that only one person could fit in. However, the tower had a wide view and was an ideal navigation signal to guide vessels. The lighthouse,a kind of Aids to Navigation, is usually built by the official government. However, Wanggao Tower is exceptional. The tower was the honor to Tamsui locals in early times, and also the first lighthouse in Taiwan Island. Note: The official lighthouse built by the Government is Yuwongdau Lighthouse, which was built in 1778 in the Ching Dynasty.

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