Hobe Gun Fort 滬尾砲台

Caption: The distant view of Mt Kanon from the ex-battery of Tansui, the suburb of Taihoku

Marc of Taipics.com sends this rare photo of Hobe Gun Fort from the Japanese colonial era (above). Clearly, it had been abandoned and, at some point, occupied by squatters who had built a traditional residential house 三合院 in the court yard. Another photo shows the run-down house:

Source: http://catalog.digitalarchives.tw/item/00/30/e0/3c.html

Two years after the Battle of Fisherman's Wharf, Governor of Taiwan 劉銘傳 Liu Ming-chuan ordered the construction of this fortress [Hobe is the Taiwanese pronunciation of 滬尾, the old name of Tamsui], under the supervision of a German engineer, Lieutenant Max E Hecht. Hecht unfortunately died on the job and was buried in Tamsui Foreigners Cemetery. He was the only deceased with two headstones, one reads "In memoriam Lieut Max Hecht who died in Tamsui on the 19th August 1892 in his 39th year. Ruhe seiner asche. Erected by his friends" and the other, simply "M Hecht".

This gun fort was designed to cover the area where the French warships were deployed in 1884 (below). It was equipped with 4 rear-loaded pieces: two 8-inch Krupp, one 10-inch and another a 12-inch Armstrong.

Source: http://catalog.digitalarchives.tw/item/00/30/e0/45.html

Now fully restored, complete with a museum inside the soldiers' quarters and munition dumps that exhibits the history of the Sino-French war:

 The plague above the main gate, was presented by Liu Ming-chuan
with his calligraphic writing of 北門鎖鑰. 

The court yard with 蓮霧 trees with the barracks/museum in the background

The rest of Danshui

Besides the hustle and bustle of the 老街Old Street, there are many tourist attractions in Danshui, e.g., the Little White House, Ft Santo Domingo, Fisherman's Wharf, Hobe Gun Fort, Danshui Presbyterian Church, etc. There are many lesser-known yet no less important sites such as the three major temples, 媽祖宮, 龍山寺, and 清水祖師廟, plus the 蘇府王爺廟 [described in the last post]. Then there are the always overlooked sites, for example, 淡江中学Tamkang High School and the nearby Foreigners' Cemetery, the Taipei County Martyrs' Memorial, etc. Here we'll offer a quick introduction to these sites and more:

Tamkang High School was started in 1882 by Dr George Leslie Mackay as 牛津學堂the Oxford College. It was formally established and moved to the present site by his son 偕叡廉博士 in 1925. This is the gym, at the end of a long walkway from the front gate:
The walkway is paved with red bricks with some old "撒木耳煉瓦會社Samuel and Samuel Co" bricks embedded, most likely salvaged from other buildings from the 1920s.
Inside the gym, you'll see the portraits of two boxing champions, [l] Jake Martinez (1955-56) and [r] Juan Lazcano (1950-53) on the wall:
During the infamous 228 Incident (1947), one of the students was shot and killed near the post office on Chung Cheng Road. The school principal and two teachers were also arrested and murdered. Here is a memorial on campus:
There are also other landmarks, e.g., the first rugby field in Taiwan, the bell tower, and the 八角耬 (for more, see here by Patrick Cowsill). And near the gym, there is a Mackay family cemetery and next to it, the Foreigners' Cemetery (below) where the 17 heads of French fusiliers marins from the Sino-French war in 1884 might have been buried:
Below is the original Oxford College, located within 真理大學 that used to be where the British Consulate was. The land was leased from the Qing in perpetuity until in the late 1970s when it was sold to the university:
Across the street from 真理大學 is of course the 紅毛城Fort Santo Domingo. Going down a steep slope from this area, you'll run into Chung Cheng Road again. And a short distance going north, you'll come across the tree-shaded boulevard into the Danshui Golf Course, famous since the 1920s.

Walking up the blvd, before going into the Golf Course itself and on the right-hand side, there is a footpath leading up to a new addition, the 一滴水記念館:
It is an old house from 福井Fukui Prefecture in Japan, originally built by 水上勉's father. It was dissembled in Japan and re-constructed in Danshui by volunteers, now a cultural exchange center and a library housing the entire work of 水上勉 and 陳舜臣 [both of whom novelists from Japan]:
On the left side of the entry way, there are the well-visited 滬尾砲台Hobe Gun Fort (built by 劉銘傳) and the usually ignored 台北縣忠烈祠Taipei County Martyrs' Memorial.
Some maybe interested to know that this memorial was built to symbolize the victory over the colonial Japan. This Chinese gate (牌坊, above) used to be a Japanese-style roofed gate (only the foundation now remains; the 2 Chinese style stone lions maybe a post-war addition). And the memorial hall was built on the site where the 淡水神社Tansui Jinja was originally located:
223 individuals plus one group of 72 are commemorated in this hall that include the defender of Danshui during the Sino-French war, 孫開華. The group of 72 is first on the list - KMT revolutionary martyrs already memorialized in Canton, China. Inexplicably, the list also contains the names of three Qing officials who vowed to fight and die for Taiwan but ran back to China instead when the Japanese came to take over Taiwan in 1895.

And back to the soon to be totally altered 重建街 area, here is the famed western style 紅樓 (the Red Castle) owned by the 洪Hong family, now a cafe:
It has appeared in many famous paintings of old Danshui. And right below it, in front of the now demolished 白樓 (the White Castle) is the China Berry tree long associated with 木下靜涯Kinoshita Seigai:
Danshui is rapidly changing into a town of all tourism all the time. And in the back side of Danshui MRT Station, the landfill project continues:
Eventually another tourist bridge that goes nowhere similar to the one in Fisherman's Wharf will be built here. The landfill narrows the span of the river that is certain to impede the flow of water from upstream. It will be interesting to see if Taipei is flooded when the next typhoon hits.

More on French war dead - Oct 8 1884

[Above: Insignia on the beret of a fusilier marin. In the morning of Oct 8, 1884, the French fusiliers marins landed at the beaches in northwest Tamsui to mount an attack and were beaten back severely by the defending Hunan Braves.]

A few notes taken from two Sino-French war contemporary sources are posted below. The two authors, Alexander Frater and John Dodd were both in Tamsui at the time of French invasion. Frater in particular had dealt directly over the French war dead issue with Gen Sun Kai-Hua, commander of Qing Army in Tamsui, and Liu Min-Chuan, the Imperial Commissioner then stationed in Manga (now Wanhua). One of John Dodd's household staff was also accused of spying for the French and had implicated the "Three-Legged" Dodd [who walked with a cane]. The staff member was later executed for treason; although Dodd emerged from the bad situation unscathed and who eventually went back home to Scotland to live out the rest of his life.

Source 1:

Alexander Frater, British Consul, in Volume 3: 1881-1885, Taiwan : political and economic reports, 1861-1960 (10 v.) Editor: Robert L Jarman, Publisher: Cambridge Archive Editions, 1997.

10/9/1884: …The above narrative has to be accepted with the reservation that we have no account from the French side. 14 Frenchmen’s heads were brought into the town [Tamsui] in the afternoon and it is said that four more were carried along yesterday morning. The Chinese make their own loss out to be 200 killed and wounded. The Missionary Hospital [the Mackay Clinic] has been crowded with injured soldiers, and it is noticeable that most of them have been wounded in two or three places. All day yesterday, the troops were engaged in burying their dead. Three of General Suns [Sun Kai-Hua] officers were killed.

P 458 Oct 13/ 1884: … It proceeds to say that the portion referring to the cutting off of heads applies only to cases of actual fighting; that the production of the head of an enemy as a proof of a deed of bravery was sanctioned by the law of the country; that the Imperial Commissioner [Liu Ming-Chuan] was just the man to follow the guidance of the law; and that General Sun and the TaoTai had issued similar notices. After stating that the heads after they had been produced for inspection were buried at once – about which I may remark that it is known that some of them were sent up to Bangka, probably to be shown to the Imperial Commissioner, who I find is still there – Li goes on to say that care was taken…

P 463: A friend of Li, the International Officer, states that the latter two days ago [Oct 11] buried thirteen bodies of Frenchmen at a cost of $4 each.

Source 2:

John Dodd: Journal of a Blockaded Resident in Northern Formosa, The Daily Press, Hong Kong,1888.

P 51 10/9/1884: 14 French heads, 6 in the market place [near MaZu Temple] and 8 at the camp [near the Hobe Gun Fort] were exhibited. “Fourteen left their bodies on shore…”

P 55 10/13/1884: It is said the Chinese buried the dead bodies of the Frenchmen after the engagement on 8th instant by order of General Soon [Gen Sun Kai-Hua].

P 112 2/24/1885: It is reported that the Chinese have found the head of the French officer who fell on the Downs in the engagement of the 8th October last [Lt Fontaine]. The head was buried at Banca; the body on the Downs, it is supposed.

Tamsui landmarks 1935

This was a bird's eye view map of Tamsui made in 1935, 2 years before the 2nd Sino-Japanese war (1937-45), when Tamsui was still a thriving seaport:

A pseudo-3D map of Tamsui looking from the mouth of Tamsui River

A cropped version is shown above. Major landmarks: from Sha-lun Beach (bottom left), going up and right to Hobe Gun Fort/Tamsui Golf course, and next to it, Ft San Domingo/British Consulate. And along the whole stretch of now Chung Cheng Road, various shipping companies, gov't agencies and town offices. All the schools, from elementary school to college, together with the Public Meeting Hall 公會堂 can also be seen. Notice the long-vanished delta was still there.

Also found on the map were rural areas where watermelon (most important summer crop at that time), rice (probably the native 在來 strain), and oranges (the famed bucket oranges 桶柑） were produced.

淡水蘇府王爺廟Temple of Baron Su in Danshui

An interesting sign here says: "For the safety of the tourists, fishing is forbidden in the Golden Coast sight-seeing rest area":

[The title reads in the wrong direction, too. And the bird? A 鷺鷥white egret looking for fish.]

It is unclear why fishing should endanger the tourists. For some of the locals, it is knee-deep in water in rain gear, too:


And speaking of tradition, near this fishing spot in 油車口, you'll find a tiny temple dedicated to Baron [Royal Lord] Su, originally constructed in 1719, totally re-built in the 1960s:

This 蘇府王爺廟 of Danshui has spawned many more others all over Taiwan. As MaZu, Baron Su is also a supernatural guardian of the fishermen. He specializes in protecting them from infectious epidemics. Su was presumably a Cantonese, in fact a Ming Dynasty mandarin who had governed 7 provinces in China. It is unknown how he became a minor Taoist god. In the Taiwan/Hokkien custom, when something miraculous happened and the performer of the miracle appeared in some VIP's dreams to claim the credit, the dreamer(s) would build a temple to honor the instant deity. Then the legends grew and the followers came, etc. No one knows what Su's inaugural miracles were, by the time he was enshrined in Danshui, town folks were convinced that he had saved Danshui from the plague, cholera and the like.

However, there is something unique in the worship of Baron Su. Each year on the 9th Day of the 9th Month of the lunar calendar, an elaborate ritual known as 送王船 [sending-off of the Baron's ship] is conducted. In it, a huge ship built of paper and sticks was first buried in fake money and then set on fire. The purpose is allegedly to cast off evil spirits associated with the epidemics. And the money is for tricking these spirits into boarding the ship.

This temple is next to the entry way to Danshui Golf Course, also where the Hobe Gun Fort and the Martyrs' Memorial are located. In the Sino-French war in 1884, Qing soldiers had encamped in this area as well. And they came to Baron Su's temple to worship and pray.

The prayers did not work for several who were executed for cowardice - retreating in the face of the enemy - right outside the temple. Most, however, claimed that Baron Su, as other major deities in Danshui, had also helped them defeat the French. A wooden plaque, "威靈赫濯", was installed by General 章高元 in gratitude:
After the Battle of Fisherman's Wharf, an unknown number of Qing soldiers chose to stay and married local women. They settled mostly in the 油車口 area. One of them was murdered by his wife in a well-known scandal.

One wonders if the sending-off of the paper ship every year may not be a disguise of these Qing soldiers' desire to go home to the other side of the Taiwan Strait.

Note: The above is based on the original legend that a statue of Baron Su was salvaged from a ship sailing from Hokkien and sank in a storm near Jin-shan. The statue was preserved in a house and later in the temple in 油車口. This temple now seems to worship not one but a group of three Hokkienese barons, Nos 1, 2 and 3. When and why this change remain to be investigated.

中法戰爭 Sino-French War 1884

This is a map of the battle at Danshui during the Sino-French war in 1884.

The map was probably based on one of several sold by Danshui harbor pilot, a Brit by the name of Carozzi, to the French in Hongkong, for which he received a blood money of 50,000 francs (as an annual stipend, not a lump sum payment).

The map was entitled: Entry to the port of Tamsui, Combat (Battle) of Oct 8, 1884. Let us now take you through the battle:

At the bottom of the map, you can see the River of Tamsui and immediately there is a “Barrage (i.e., dam)” line, this was where the old ships were sunk on purpose, and later reinforced by filling this location in with stones. To the right, there is the “FORT BLANC (白砲臺)” and further inland, the red markers are FORT ROGUE (紅毛城), the British Consulate, residences of Europeans, and other buildings. Then the town of Tamsui or Hobe (滬尾) itself. Near the town, the Cookshaefer was a British gun ship trapped inside the harbor. Also trapped was a Chinese transport ship 萬年清艦 (not depicted). Notice the depths are in meters, the deepest point was 7.3 m at high tide. Sandy sediments are clearly seen on the south shore.

The captions in French are quite straightforward. The names of the seven French warships need no translation. Rear Admiral Lespes, the fleet commander, was onboard flagship La Galissonniere. On active patrol was the gunship Vipere, shown in two positions; it prevented other foreign ships from entering Tamsui River. In the early morning of Oct 1, 1884, the warships moved into position, and Lespes, through flag signals, warned European residents in Danshui of the impending canon bombardment. On Oct 2, the bombardment started that destroyed three major Chinese artillery encampments. The Chinese artillery returned fire. In the thick fog, the French suffered some losses and ceased action. This was one day before 中秋節. So under the moonlight, French engineers probed the defense at the mouth of Danshui river when a mine was set off by the Chinese defense force. The French then beat a quick retreat. The battle finally started on Oct 8, first with heavy bombardments from French warships. Local commander 提督孫開華 was in charge with eight battalions of defense forces plus 100 artillery men. At 10AM, five companies of French marines (indicated by 5 small rectangles on the map) landed on the beach (see Point de debarquement – disembarking point - on the map). Captain Dehorter of the 2nd Company was hit in the chest by Chinese sniper fire and wounded (who was evacuated to Viet Nam and died there from the wounds). The French advanced through thick forests and bushes to the red line indicated on the map (line of French fire) facing the black line (the line of Chinese fire) – the Chinese positions are shown as Camp Retranche. To the north, there is another line of Chinese fire. In other words, the French forces were trapped. Chinese forces then advanced and attacked. All French companies moved to the left flank. And near a house at the converging point of the two Chinese firing lines, Lieutenant Fontaine’s company (the 1st Company) began to retreat. Others followed - shown in a zigzag line (the ligne de retraile – the line of retreat) retreating back to the beach. By that time, it was high tide, so the French must wade in seawater neck deep to re-board the landing vessels. A severely wounded Lieutenant Fontaine of La Galissonnière was escorted by two other marines and the group was lagging behind. All three were captured on the beach by Chinese soldiers and were beheaded on the spot. In all, 17 French marines were killed and 49 wounded in hand-to-hand combats. The loss on the Chinese side was 80 dead and around 200 wounded. The latter were tended to at Dr George Leslie Mackay’s Clinic (because of the hostility shown by some Taiwanese towards anything foreign, Dr Mackay's family and later himself were force to retreat to Hongkong). It was a hard-won victory and Danshui, to this day, is still grateful for the sacrifice of the Chinese soldiers.

The French then changed strategy by blockading all ports of Taiwan.