Danshui’s war history revealed at Huwei Fort

Danshui, however, is not just a Spanish fort with food stalls lining the river bank. Thanks to its strategic location at the mouth of the Danshui River, the town has played an important role in numerous historical events that shaped Taiwanese culture – and many sites are rooted in that history, including the Matsu temple, the residence of the British consul, the Oxford College founded by Canadian missionary George MacKay, and the Huwei Fort.

Though Huwei Fort (滬尾砲台) is not as spectacular as the adjacent Fort San Domingo, its history is revealing nonetheless. It all started in the 1880s when imperial China was at war with France for dominance over today’s Vietnam. In October of 1884, the French fleet arrived at Northern Taiwan and blockaded the major ports of Keelung and Danshui. Invading troops landed at Danshui, though Ching soldiers managed to fend off the assault (Keelung, on the other hand, fell to the French).

Despite this and other sporadic successes, China’s naval fleet was crushed and the government signed a treaty granting the French extensive privileges. The fighting in Taiwan highlighted the vulnerability of the island’s coast and sparked government efforts to reinforce defenses, resulting in the construction of military strongholds at strategic points, including the well-known posts in Keelung (Peace Island) and Tainan (Anping Fort).

To ensure that the new forts employed the latest and most effective military technologies, the Ching government invited German engineer Max E. Hecht to supervise the construction. When Huwei Fort was finished under Hecht’s supervision in 1889, it was armed with a massive 10-inch cannon plus one 8-inch and two 6-inch guns.

Ironically, the fort never saw combat. The island’s handover to the Japanese was completed through international treaties instead of a military invasion, and communist China never landed on Taiwan proper. Thanks to these events, the fort has been preserved almost intact. The cannons are gone and so are the barracks that once stood in the central square, but the outer walls, vaults and gate are close to their original conditions.

Today’s Huwei Fort is a rectangular structure entered through a gate that still bears the original inscription Beimensuoyao (北門鎖鑰) by governor Liu, who had assigned the construction. The inside corridors are now an art gallery and museum exhibiting the French landing in Danshui (bilingual in Chinese and French) and warfare, including historical photographs of northern Taiwan.

Well-preserved cannon positions with niches for ammunition rounds and passages through which cannons were rolled into position adorn the fort, as do lush trees that provide refreshing shade on hot sunny days.

Getting to Huwei Fort is easy. Though the bus service between the fort and Danshui MRT station is infrequent, walking to Huwei is also an option. Some 10 minutes past Fort San Domingo is a sign to the fort, from which it’s just another five minutes up a driveway. Huwei Fort is on your left, and adult tickets are NT$20 each.

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