Shuncheng Gate

Shuncheng Gate is the only surviving gate tower among the six gates of the Qing Dynasty Magong walled city, originally known as Xiao Ximen (Small West Gate) and designated a National Historic Site in 1985. Built from Penghu basalt and coral limestone, it is one of the few landmarks in Magong that directly attests to Qing Dynasty defensive construction.

The Magong walled city (also known as the Guangxu City) was built under the supervision of Commander Wu Hongluo, begun in the 13th year of the Guangxu reign (1887) and completed in the 15th year (1889) at a cost of 23,537 taels of silver — the last military defensive city built in Taiwan during the Qing era, originally with six gates. Shuncheng Gate (Xiao Ximen) is the only one that survives; it was designated a National Historic Site on August 19, 1985.

Highlights of Shuncheng Gate

The Qing Dynasty Penghu prefectural city had six gates, which were progressively demolished as the city developed. Shuncheng Gate survived because of its relatively peripheral location. The tower is built mainly from local laogu stone supplemented by red brick. The arched gate opening and the upper tower storey are fairly well preserved, allowing observation of Qing Dynasty local wall-building techniques and material choices. The site now sits along Zhongshan Road, surrounded by the modern city.

Though the tower is modest in scale, its status as the sole survivor of the original six gives it irreplaceable historical significance. The laogu stone outer walls show rough, pitted textures from years of Penghu sea wind erosion — markedly different from city gate architecture on mainland Taiwan — and stand as tangible evidence of Penghu's local building culture.

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Practical Information

Sources: Cultural Heritage Bureau, Ministry of Culture (county-designated historic site records); spot context notes. Photos pending Dio's on-site photography.