Dongquan Lighthouse

Dongquan Lighthouse is listed as a Class Two National Historical Site and is the most famous landmark on Dongju Island. Also known as Dongju Lighthouse, it is located on the northeast coast of the island. Dongquan Lighthouse has a 140-year-old history. It was built during the Qing dynasty as a result of the losses of the Opium War, when the Qing government was forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing and all coastal ports were forced open. As a result of the British government asking for a lighthouse to point out the direction of Fuzhou, Dongquan Lighthouse was built. This is the first lighthouse to be constructed out of granite in Taiwan.

The body of the lighthouse is entirely white and there is an exhibition hall next to it which is also painted white. With the light blue skies and white clouds as its background, this place has an exotic feeling about it. If you were to put it in the same frame as the traditional buildings in the lower Fuzheng Village (福正聚落), you would find an interesting contrast in architecture. There is a white wall connecting the lighthouse with the exhibition hall which local people call the “Wall of White Hair” (白毛牆). Because Dongquan Lighthouse is located so high up, this wall was built to prevent the flame of the lighthouse keeper’s kerosene lamp being extinguished by the wind. The blue sky, white lighthouse, green grassland and purple Formosan Thistle merge together beautifully, creating a scene not to be missed.