Lighthouses of China: Běihǎi, Guǎngxī

The People's Republic of China (PRC), known officially as Zhōnghuá (中华), has a lengthy coastline, many large harbors, and a large number of lighthouses. The country is divided into 23 provinces and 11 other province-level regions of various special types. Guǎngxī (more properly Guǎngxī Zhuàngzú Zìzhìqū, the Guǎngxī Zhuàng Autonomous Region) is a province-level region of China located in the extreme south of the country adjacent to Vietnam. Historically the Guǎngxī region was landlocked but in 1952 the People's Republic transferred the westernmost coastal portion of Guǎngdōng Province to Guǎngxī. This decison was reversed in 1955 and then reinstated in 1965.

The coastline of Guǎngxī extends for about 200 km (125 mi) along the north end of the Gulf of Tonkin. The Chinese name for the Gulf of Tonkin is Běibù Wān (Northern Bay) because the gulf is the northern extension of the South China Sea. The region is divided into 14 prefectural-level cities; the three bordering the coast are Běihǎi, Qīnzhōu, and Fángchénggǎng. All three include major ports.

This page is for lighthouses of Běihǎi; there is a separate page for lighthouses of Qīnzhōu and Fángchénggǎng. Běihǎi is a relatively new, rapidly-growing port city with a population of more than 1.5 million. The city's name, literally "North Sea," refers to its location at the north end of the Gulf of Tonkin (Běibù Wān).

There are many languages and dialects spoken in China, but Standard Chinese, often called Mandarin, is official. The pīnyīn system for transliterating Standard Chinese into Latin characters is now the international standard but some locations continue to be known also under the spellings of older transliteration systems. The Chinese word for a lighthouse is dēngtǎ (灯塔). In Standard Chinese jiāo (formerly chiao) is a reef or rock, jiǎo is a cape or headland, dǎo (tao) is an island; (tsu) or tuózi ("lump") is a small island, hǎi is a sea, wān is a bay, hǎixiá is a strait, or jiāng is a river, hékǒu ("river mouth") is an estuary, and gǎng (kang) is a harbor.

Lighthouses in China are maintained by the PRC Maritime Safety Administration (MSA). The administration is organized in four regional administrations with district offices in the major ports. The lights on this page are maintained by the Zhànjiāng MSA office in Guǎngdōng, which is included in the Guǎngzhōu Region.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. CN numbers are the serial numbers used by the Shànghǎi regional office of MSA. Admiralty numbers are from volume P of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.

General Sources
Online List of Lights - China
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
Chinese English Pinyin Dictionary
A useful tool for juggling the representations of Chinese names.
GPSNavigationCharts
Navigation chart information for the Gulf of Tonkin.
Navionics Charts
Navigation chart information for Guǎngxī.


Wéizhōudǎo Light, Wéizhōu, Hǎichéng, July 2021
Instagram photo by Donghai Yang

Hǎichéng District: Xiéyángdǎo and Wéizhōudǎo Lighthouses
Wéizhōu is a volcanic island in the Gulf of Tonkin, about 50 km (30 mi) south of Běihǎi and a similar distance west of the Léizhōu Peninsula in Guǎngdōng. The island, then known as Weichow, was occupied by France in the late 1800s and added to French Indochina. Nationalist Chinese troops recaptured it from the Japanese in July 1945 and held it until Communist troops took the island in early 1950. Wéizhōu is about 6.5 km (4 mi) in diameter and has a permanent population of about 16,000. It is accessible by passenger ferry from Běihǎi and is a popular destination for day trips. Xiéyángdǎo ("Setting Sun Island") is a small island, about 1.6 km (1 mi) in diameter, located 17 km (10 mi) southeast of Wéizhōudǎo.

Xiéyángdǎo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 5 m (49 ft); white flash every 4 s. 6 m (20 ft) wood tower painted white. No photo available and Google has only a fuzzy satellite view. Located at the southwestern tip of Xiéyángdǎo. Site status unknown. CN-4879; Admiralty P3327; NGA 20100.
* Wéizhōudǎo Ro-Ro Pier
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 10 m (33 ft); red light, pattern unknown. Approx. 6 m (20 ft) conical tower atop a round 1-story equipment shelter. A foggy closeup photo is available and Google has a satellite view. Located on the ferry pier on the northwest side of Wéizhōudǎo. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. CN-4878.3 (?); Admiralty P3326.24.
* Pòyīnshí (2?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 20 m (66 ft); white light, pattern unknown. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) round cylindrical tower painted with red and white horizontal bands mounted on a round stone base; a stairway climbs to the top of the base. A photo is at right and Google has a distant satellite view. Located in the surf just off the southernmost point of the island. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty P3326.26.
 
*** Wéizhōudǎo (Wéizhōu Dǎo) (3)
2002 (station established 1956). Active; focal plane 97 m (318 ft); white flash every 10 s. 24 m (79 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern, gallery, and a large octagonal observation room, rising from a 1-story octagonal base. Lighthouse painted white, lantern red. Donghai Yang's 2021 photo is at the top of this page, MSA has a photo, a 2008 photo shows the top of the lighthouse, TianCong Lyu has a closeup street view, and Google has a distant satellite view of the station. The original lighthouse was a 15 m (49 ft) skeletal tower; it was replaced in 1969 by a stone tower of similar height. The lighthouse is located near the southernmost point of the island. Site open, tower open to the observation level. . CN-4878; Admiralty P3326; NGA 20096.
Wānzǎijiǎo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane unknown, white light, pattern unknown. No description or photo of this light available but Google's satellite view shows a substantial hexagonal cylindrical tower. Located atop a steep bluff at the southeastern corner of Wéizhōu. Site status unknown; there is a road to the lighthouse. Admiralty P3326.28.

Pòyīnshí Light, Wéizhōudǎo, November 2018
Instagram photo by vec_t_or

Eastern Hépǔ County Lighthouse
Shātián Gǎng (Duìdà Tóu)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); white flash every 4 s. 34 m (111 ft) square skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a point of land at Shātián, on the east side of the entrance to the Dāndōu estuary. Site status unknown. CN-4889; Admiralty P3319.8.

Tiěshāngǎng District Lighthouses
Tiěshān Gǎng Law Enforcement Pier (No. 2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); white (?) light, pattern unknown. Approx. 12 m (93 ft) round red concrete tower. Navionics charts the light as white but it may be red. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a pier in Tiěshān harbor. Site and tower closed. Admiralty P3319.961.
Tiěshān Gǎng (Daniu Shi) (2)
2010 (station established 1961). Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); white flash every 4 s. 14 m (46 ft) round white concrete tower mounted on a square concrete pier. A photo is at right and Bing has a satellite view. Located on a shoal off a new port on a shallow embayment at the northeastern corner of the Gulf of Tonkin. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-4884; Admiralty P3319.96.
Yíngpán Gǎng
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 24 m (79 ft) square skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available but the shadow of a tower is faintly visible in Bing's satellite view. This lighthouse also faces Běibù Bay. Located on heights above the entrance to the Yíngpán estuary, about 30 km (19 mi) east of Běihǎi. Site status unknown. CN-4890; Admiralty P3319.783.

Yínhǎi District (Guǎntóulíng Area) Lighthouses
Xīcūn (Xincun, "North Village")
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 10 m (33 ft); white (?) light, pattern unknown. Approx. 9 m (30 ft) concrete tower. Navionics charts the light as white but it may be red. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on the west side of the entrance to Xīcūn harbor. Site status unknown. Admiralty P3325.
Báihǔtóu ("White Tiger Head") (2?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 30 m (8 ft); white flash every 4 s. Approx. 25 m (82 ft) skeletal tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. The MSA List describes a tower only 3.4 m (11 ft) tall but the satellite view shows a very tall tower. Located on a headland in Yíntān. Site appears open, tower closed. CN-4892; Admiralty P3324.
Diànbáiliáo East Breakwater (Light #1) (2)
2021. Active; focal plane about 12 m (39 ft); green flash every 4 s. Approx. 8 m (26 ft) round green concrete tower. No photo available but Bing has a satellite view. This light is on a new breakwater completed in 2021. Diànbáiliáo is an artificial port on the east side of Guǎntóulíng. Located at the end of east (main) breakwater of Diànbáiliáo harbor. Accessible only by boat but visible from shore. Site status unknown. CN-4892.03; Admiralty P3322.951.

Tiěshān Gǎng Light, Běihǎi
PRC South China Sea Maritime Security Center photo
Diànbáiliáo Entrance (Light #2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); red flash every 4 s. Approx. 7.5 m (25 ft) round concrete tiwer. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on the quay on the west side of Diànbáiliáo harbor. Site status unknown. CN serial 8110501.02; Admiralty P3323.
Diànbáiliáo West Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); red flash every 4 s. 12 m (39 ft) light on a square platform supported by piles. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located just off the end of the west breakwater of Diànbáiliáo harbor. Accessible only by boat but visible from shore. Site status unknown. CN serial 8110501.01; Admiralty P3322.9.
* Guǎntóulíng Nánwān East Breakwater
2008. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); green flash every 4 s. 8 m (26 ft) round concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is green. Lài Lù Wén has a very distant view of the breakwater lights and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Guǎntóulíng is a town at the end of the Yínhǎi Peninsula. Located at the end of the east breakwater of Nánwān (South Bay) harbor at Guǎntóulíng. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. CN serial 8110506; Admiralty P3320.25.
* Guǎntóulíng Nánwān West Breakwater
2008. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); red flash every 4 s. 8 m (26 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower. Lighthouse painted with red and white horizontal bands. Lài Lù Wén has a very distant view of the breakwater lights and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located at the end of the west breakwater of Nánwān (South Bay) harbor at Guǎntóulíng. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. CN serial 8110505; Admiralty P3320.26.
Guǎntóulíng (Guantou Ling, Běihǎi Crown Ridge) (2)
Date unknown (station established 1933). Active; focal plane 120 m (394 ft); white flash every 3 s. 13 m (43 ft) octagonal lantern mounted atop a square 3-story building. Lantern painted red. A photo is at right and Google has a satellite view. A giant radar station nearby draws much more attention than the lighthouse. Located atop a high ridge on the west side of Běihǎi. Site status unknown. CN-4895; Admiralty P3320; NGA 20092.

Guǎntóulíng Light, Guǎntóulíng
ex-Sina Weibo photo
Guǎntóulíng Sanpō
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 8 m (26 ft); white flash every 4 s. Approx. 7 m (23 ft) round barbell-shaped tower colored with red and white horizontal bands and mounted on a square 1-story rubblestine tower. A 2020 photo and a second photo (halfway down the page) are available and Google has a satellite view. Located on a rock just off the tip of the Guǎntóulíng peninsula. Site status unknown. CN serial 8110554; Admiralty P3320.28.
Guǎnlíng
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 8 m (26 ft); white flash every 4 s. Approx. 7 m (23 ft) round barbell-shaped tower colored with red and white horizontal bands and mounted on a square 1-story rubblestine tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a rock at the tip of the Guǎntóulíng peninsula, about 1 km (0.6 mi) northwest of the Guǎntóulíng Sanpō light. Site status unknown. CN serial 8110553; Admiralty P3320.29.
Guǎntóulíng Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); continuous red light. 18 m (59 ft) square metal tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. The rear light is apparently on a building onshore. Located just offshore south of the cruise ship pier at Guǎntóulíng. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN 8110551; Admiralty P3320.3.

Hǎichéng District (Běihǎi City) Lighthouses
Běihǎi Xīngǎng Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); continuous red light. 23 m (75 ft) skeletal tower, carrying a triangular daymark point up, mounted atop a warehouse. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. The range guides vessels into the new harbor (xīngǎng) of Běihǎi. Located on the waterfront of the harbor. Site and tower closed. CN-4894.1; Admiralty P3320.5; NGA 20087.

Sanpō Light, Guǎntóulíng
Zhihu.com photo
Běihǎi Xīngǎng Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 28 m (92 ft); continuous red light. 30 m (98 ft) skeletal tower carrying a triangular daymark, point down. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located 340 m (0.2 mi) south southeast of the front light. Site status unknown. CN-4894.11; Admiralty P3320.51; NGA 20087.1.
Běihǎi Nèigǎng Entrance Right
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); white or green light, pattern unknown. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) round tower painted white with a red top. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on the west side of the entrance to Běihǎi's traditional harbor. Site status unknown. Admiralty P3320.8.
Wàishā Nèigǎng Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); continuous red light. 13 m (43 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, painted black and carrying a black triangular daymark, point up. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. The range guides vessels into the traditional inner harbor (nèigǎng) of Běihǎi. Located on the waterfront of the harbor. Site and tower closed. CN-4902; Admiralty P3321; NGA 20088.
Wàishā Nèigǎng Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); continuous red light. 21 m (69 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, painted black and carrying a black triangular daymark, point down. No photo available and the tower is not seen in Google's indistinct satellite view. It's possible this light is now mounted on one of the modern buildings in this area. Located 150 m (500 ft) south southeast of the front light. Site status unknown. CN-4903; Admiralty P3321.1; NGA 20088.1.
Běihǎi Nèigǎng Entrance Left
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); white or red light, pattern unknown. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) round tower painted white. No photo available but Google has an infistinct satellite view. Located on a short pier on the east side of the entrance to Běihǎi's traditional harbor. Site status unknown. Admiralty P3320.9.

Western Hépǔ County Lighthouse
Shāyǒng
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); light characteristics unknown. Approx. 15 m (49 ft) round tower, probably painted with red and white horizontal bands, mounted on a square concrete base. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located at the entrance to Shāyǒng, a small port in the delta of the Nánliú River northwest of Běihǎi City. Admiralty P3320.94.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: East: Léizhōu Peninsula | West: Southwest Guǎngxī

Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key

Posted December 19, 2008. Checked and revised April 15, 2024. Lighthouses: 27. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.