Why Hulishan Fortress is one of Xiamen's most rewarding history stops
Picture this: you're walking along an old stone wall by the sea on the south shore of Xiamen Island, the sea wind tugging at you, when you round a corner and meet a huge black cannon — a long barrel angled out over the water, mounted on a thick concrete emplacement, with the Chinese characters 胡里山炮台 carved into the curved wall behind it. This is the Krupp cannon that has guarded the strait since the late Qing dynasty, and it's still sitting exactly where it was placed.
Hulishan Fortress (胡里山炮台) was built between 1891 and 1896, in the closing decades of the Qing dynasty, as a coastal artillery fort to protect the mouth of Xiamen harbour from foreign warships. It sits on a rocky headland at the southern tip of the island, facing the strait that separates the mainland from Jinmen Island (金门). The big draw is the German Krupp cannon, which Guinness World Records listed in 2000 as the largest and oldest 19th-century coastal gun still standing in its original location.
Why it's more fun than you'd expect: this isn't just an empty fort to wander around. There's a twice-daily show in which costumed Qing soldiers demonstrate firing the cannon, a museum of antique weapons and guns from several eras, and a seaside setting right beside Xiamen University and Huandao Road. So one stop gives you history, sea views, and an easy walk on to the beach, all in half a day.
