Eluanbi Lighthouse

Eluanbi Lighthouse (鵝鑾鼻燈塔) stands at Cape Eluanbi, the southernmost point of Taiwan Island, in Hengchun Township, Pingtung County. Commissioned during the late Qing Dynasty, construction began in 1881 under the supervision of British engineers and was completed in early 1883, with the light first illuminated on April 1, 1883. The original tower was a white cast-iron structure standing 21.4 meters tall, with a base diameter of 6 meters tapering to 4 meters at the top.

What makes Eluanbi highly unusual among the world's lighthouses is its extensive military fortifications. Surrounded by a 6-meter-deep moat with caponiers and barbed-wire fencing, the compound featured numerous gun ports for rifle and artillery fire, revolving steel shutters to protect the lantern glass, and underground cisterns capable of sustaining a three-month siege. A garrison of 16 soldiers under a German officer manned two 18-pounder cannons, two Gatling guns, and a Cohon mortar. These defenses were necessitated by frequent attacks from indigenous Paiwan people who resented foreign intrusion into their territory.

In 1895, after the First Sino-Japanese War, the lighthouse was deliberately wrecked by Qing forces, who burned the tower and its walls before leaving so as to deny it to the Japanese. After Japan took control of Taiwan under the Treaty of Shimonoseki, colonial officials rebuilt the lighthouse in 1898 and installed a significantly stronger light in 1910. By 1931, the light characteristic was changed to a flashing white pattern of 5 seconds on and 5 seconds off. The Japanese valued the lighthouse so highly that it was featured on imperial postage stamps — appearing on both the 6-sen First Showa series and the 40-sen Second Showa series — and was designated as one of "Taiwan's Eight Scenic Spots."

During World War II, the lighthouse became a target of American strategic bombing campaigns in the Pacific Theater. U.S. air raids caused serious damage to the structure, destroying much of the tower and its optical equipment. After Japan's surrender in 1945 and the handover of Taiwan to the Republic of China, the lighthouse was rebuilt in 1947. A major renovation in 1962 installed a powerful rotating Fresnel lens, increasing the light intensity to 1,800,000 candela with a range of 27.2 nautical miles, making it the most powerful lighthouse in Taiwan.

Today, Eluanbi Lighthouse stands within Kenting National Park and was registered as a national historic site on March 15, 2024. It remains an active navigational aid while serving as a popular tourist attraction and a tangible reminder of Taiwan's colonial history and wartime experience.