Hulishan Fort, Coastal military fortress in Xiamen, China.
Hulishan Fort is a granite coastal defense compound on the southern shore of Xiamen, built with thick walls, underground tunnels, and chambers for storing weapons and ammunition. The site sits on a hillside overlooking the sea, and its layout follows the natural slope of the terrain to maximize the range of its gun positions.
The fort was built between 1894 and 1896, a period when China was actively seeking to strengthen its coastal defenses against foreign naval threats. Its construction drew on German engineering expertise, reflecting the broader effort to bring Western military technology to China at that time.
The fort takes its name from the Huli Hill on which it stands, a detail visitors can connect to the surrounding landscape during their walk. The gun emplacements, storage rooms, and tunnels give a concrete sense of how a coastal garrison was organized and operated day to day.
Comfortable, closed-toe shoes are a good idea since the site has stairs, slopes, and uneven ground throughout. The coastal location means the wind can be strong, especially near the gun platforms, so an extra layer of clothing is worth bringing.
The fort's main cannon is a 28 cm Krupp coastal gun from 1893, one of the few of its type still in place anywhere in the world. It was so heavy that laying it into position required weeks of work and a temporary rail system built specifically for moving it across the site.
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