Weiyuan Fort

Weiyuan Fort is a coastal-defense fort, now in ruins, in Humen, Dongguan, Guangdong, China.

Weiyuan Fort history

Weiyuan Fort is a generic name given for the old river defence batteries built along the east bank of the Humen River in China.  This was earlier referred to as the Anunghoy Batteries by the British.

The fort was constructed in 1835 and was in use during the Opium Wars. The fort is situated immediately under the Humen Bridge. There were 44 cannons there to defend against the British, 40 dark artillery and 4 open fort. It is 360 meters in length. Admission is free, with valid documents.

Plans for Weiyuan Fort was drawn up in 1834 as part of efforts by the Qing government to fortify the Humen strait in the Pearl River Delta. After the construction of four major forts along the straits, Lu Kun suggested that another fort be constructed in the style of a crossed platform which was Weiyuan Fort. At the same time, Yong’an Fort was built on the western end of an island in the strait and Gonggu Fort was constructed on the opposite bank in the foothills of Luwan Mountain. Weiyuan Fort was captured in the 1841 Battle of the Bogue, 1847 Expedition to Canton, and 1856 Battle of the Bogue.

Weiyuan Fort today

What remains today as a memory of these battles is the forts and cannon defence systems that were built during the time.

The fort complex now houses the Opium Wars Museum, covering an area of nearly 800,000 square meters.

The nearby Sea Battle Museum contains a history of the events during the war told using models, artefacts from the time and paintings. The museum also has a dedicated section that promotes the current anti-drug use campaign.

Getting to Weiyuan Fort

Weiyuan Fortress lies on the southwest beach in front of the south hill of Weiyuan island in Humen.