When you come to Jinguitou Fortress, you’ve reached the westernmost part of the Magong Peninsula. The fort is one of the four Armstrong breech-loading artillery platforms constructed in Penghu during the Qing dynasty Guangxu period. Because of terrain.
The site is named Jinguitou (“turtlehead”) Fortress owing to its location on Guishan (“turtle mountain”). It stands opposite the Fengguiwei Shetoushan, formerly known as "Snake Head," on Da Shan Island. Together, they guard the mouth of the Magong Harbor. The site was once one of Penghu's most powerful artillery installations. But during the Sino-French War, French warships scored a direct hit on an ammunition depot, rendering the fort useless for battle.
Because an inscription above the main gate during the Japanese occupation read "Tiannan Lock and Key,” referring to the fort’s strategic location, the site was renamed Tiannan Fort and used for military exercises. The Nationalist army took over the garrison in the postwar period, but it no longer served defensive purposes and was scrapped in 1951 and used solely for military communications. In 2001, it was designated as a national monument. In 2008, the site was taken over by the Penghu County Government and recommissioned it as Jinguitou Fortress Cultural Park.
You can also see that Jinguitou Fort’s most important architectural form is its domed barracks, a special feature of artillery installations in the Penghu area. A stone wall surface with a thickness of 110 to 115 cm serves as the foundation for the two side walls. The wall is topped by an arched vault made of red brick. An earthen wall of stacked basalt surrounds the artillery platform. The platform’s base and the archway at the entrance have been well preserved. Visitors to the site will get a taste of yesteryear’s battlefield atmosphere.
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23°33'50.99976"N 119°33'38.66724"E