Lighthouses of China: Guǎngdōng South Coast

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. The province of Guǎngdōng (formerly spelled Kwangtung) is located on the southern coast of the country facing the South China Sea. Its coastline is rugged and irregular, with many islands and reefs threatening unwary navigators.

The province is divided into 21 prefectural-level cities. This page lists lighthouses of the southern coast of the province between the Pearl River and Zhànjiāng, including the three prefectural-level cities of Jiāngmén, Yángjiāng, and Màomíng.

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

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.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. CN numbers are the MSA List of Lights (助航标志表) numbers. 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.
Leuchttürme Chinas auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse.
Navionics Charts
Navigation chart for Guǎngdōng.


Dàfàngjī Light, Màomíng, May 2013
Google Maps photo by jingbin li

Jiāngmén Prefecture: Táishān Lighthouses

Located on the west side of the Pearl River Delta and occupying the coast of Jiāngmén, the county-level city of Táishān has a population of about one million. The city includes two large islands, Shàngchuān and Xiàchuān, and numerous smaller islands.

Mainland Lighthouses
Xiǎojīndǎo (Xiǎojīn Dǎo, Hsiao-chin) (2?)
2013. Active; focal plane 84 m (276 ft); white flash every 6 s. 5 m (17 ft) hexagonal white concrete tower. NGA formerly listed a 3 m (10 ft hexagonal tower with a focal plane of 82 m (269 ft), so it is likely that the Admiralty's 2013 announcement is of a new and larger tower. No photo available and the light is not seen in Google's indistinct satellite view. Located on a small island off the mouth of Huángmáo Bay. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-4575; Admiralty P3407; NGA 19980.
Tàidiǎn Entrance Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 27 m (89 ft); continuous red light. 25 m (82 ft) square skeletal tower carrying a rectanguar daymark colored white with a red vertical stripe. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. The range guides ships into the Tàidiǎn coal terminal. Located at the water's edge on the west side of the docks. Site and tower closed. CN-4575.7; Admiralty P3406.904.
Tàidiǎn Entrance Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 34 m (112 ft); continuous red light. 12 m (39 ft) square skeletal tower carrying a rectanguar daymark colored white with a red vertical stripe. No photo available but Googlenhas an indistinct satellite view. Located on a hillside about 275 m (300 yd) north of the front light. Site and tower closed. CN-4575.8; Admiralty P3406.905.
Tàidiǎn Approaches Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); white light occulting once every 4 s. 29 m (95 ft) round concrete tower carrying a red triangular daymark and mounted on a square pier. No photo available but Bing has a satellite view. The range guides vessels into bthe channel etween Shàngchuān Island and the mainland. Located about 1.5 km (1 mi) off the Yútáng promontory of the mainland. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. CN-4575.5; Admiralty P3406.902.
Tàidiǎn Approaches Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 51 m (167 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 35 m (115 ft) round concrete tower carrying a red triangular daymark. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on the mainland coast about 1.5 km (1 mi) northwest of the front light. Site status unknown. CN-4575.6; Admiralty P3406.903.
* Nánwān Gǎng
2017. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); white flash every 3 s. Approx. 15 m (49 ft) concrete tower painted red. No photo available and the light is not seen in Google's fuzzy satellite view. Located in Nánwān Gǎng (South Bay Harbor). Site probably open, tower closed. Admiralty P3406.19.
Xiàjízhàoshān (Xiàjízhào Shān, Shānzuǐ)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 32.5 m (107 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 9 m (30 ft) hexagonal tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted yellow. A distant 2010 view is available (tower is right of center) and Bing has a satellite view. Located on a promontory of the mainland at Shānzuǐ, opposite Shàngchuān. Site status unknown. CN-4578; Admiralty P3406.2.

Shàngchuān Lighthouses
Qīnglántóu
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 64 m (210 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 4.5 m (15 ft) round white brick tower. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on the northeastern tip of Shàngchuān. Site status unknown. CN-4583; Admiralty P3406.9; NGA 19987.
Wéijiādǎo (Wéijiā Dǎo) (2)
2007 (station established 1954). Active; focal plane 172 m (564 ft); white flash every 5 s. 11 m (36 ft) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse covered with white tile, lantern painted red. A Tàidiǎn news agency has photos including the one at right, MSA has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Wéijiā is a small, uninhabited island off the southern tip of the much larger island of Shàngchuān. Located at the highest point of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-4587; Admiralty P3406; NGA 19984.
Mòdǒu Zhōu (Fountain Island) (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); white flash every 4 s. Approx. 9 m (30 ft) concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. NGA formerly listed a "square concrete pile" only 2 m (7 ft) tall. Located on an island on the north side of the entrance to Shādī Wān, a protected harbor on the southwest coast of Shàngchuān. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-4589; Admiralty P3406.5; NGA 19984.5.

Wéijiādǎo Light, Jiāngmén, January 2018
cdaaa.com News Agency photo by 岛民 (Islander)
Shādī Gǎng
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 12 m (39 ft); white light, pattern unknown. 6.5 m (21 ft) white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located on a rock in Shādī Wān off Shādī harbor. CN-4588.
Huángmáotóu (Huángmáo Tóu) (2)
1997 (station established 1957). Active; focal plane 44 m (144 ft); three white flashes every 9 s. 10.5 m (34 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery. Lighthouse covered with white ceramic tiles. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory on the north side of the island of Shàngchuān, about 25 km (15 mi) south of Guanghai. Site status unknown. CN-4582; Admiralty P3406.1.
Sānzhōu Gǎng
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); white flash every 8 s. 6 m (20 ft) round white fiberglass tower. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on the west side of the entrance to the harbor of Sānzhōu, on the north coast of Shàngchuān. CN-4582.3; Admiralty P3406.09.
* Sānzhōu Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); continuous green light. 19 m (62 ft) white concrete tower. No closeup photo available but Google has a satellite view. In Jeff Mah's view across the harbor the lighthouse is on the waterfront on the right. This is the entrance range for Sānzhōu. Located at the edge of the harbor of the town of Sānzhōu. Site probably open, tower closed. CN-4580.
* Sānzhōu Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); white light, 1.5 s on, 1.5 s off. 20 m (66 ft) white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located in the midst of downtown about 150 m (190 yd) southeast of the front light. Site probably open, tower closed. CN-4581.

Xiàchuān Lighthouses
Xiàchuāndǎo Nánàotóu
Date unknown. Active (?); focal plane 125 m (410 ft); white flash every 9 s. 6.5 m (21 ft) round white masonry tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. This light is not listed by the Admiralty and not charted by Navionics. Located on a steep headland near the southwestern tip of Xiàchuāndǎo. Site status unknown. CN-4595.
Xiàchuāndǎo Jiǎo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); white flash every 3 s. 12 m (39 ft) square white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located on a promontory on the northwest side of the island of Xiàchuāndǎo. Site status unknown. CN-4596; Admiralty P3405.9.

Mángzhōu Lighthouses
Mángzhōu (Máng Zhōu) (1 and 2)
1995 (station established 1957). Active; focal plane 129 m (423 ft); white flash every 12 s. 18 m (56 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern, gallery, 4 flared ribs, and a 2-story control room structure. Lighthouse covered with gray ceramic tiles; lantern roof is red. An MSA photo is at right and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Standing next to the active lighthouse is the 1957 tower, perhaps 10 m (33 ft) tall. Located on the island of Mángzhōu in the entrance to Zhěnhǎi Bay, about 50 km (30 mi) southeast of Yángjiāng. Site status unknown. CN-4597; Admiralty P3405.7.
Mangzhou Light
Mángzhōu Light, Yángjiāng
PRC Maritime Safety Administration photo

Yángjiāng Prefecture Lighthouses

Yángdōng District Lighthouses
Nánpéngdǎo (Nánpéng Dǎo)
1997. Active; focal plane 192 m (630 ft); white flash every 1.5 s. 11.5 m (38 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. A square observation room below the gallery is supported by two columns. Lighthouse covered with white ceramic tiles; lantern roof is red. An MSA photo is at right, Guan Tin Hei has a panoramic view, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Note: there is another Nánpéngdǎo Light in Eastern Guǎngdōng. Located on an island in the South China Sea about 55 km (35 mi) offshore south of Yángjiāng. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-4645.3; Admiralty P3405.6; NGA 19986.
Huángchéngshān (Huángchéngdǎo, Huang-Ching, Round Island) (3)
2010 (station established 1957). Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); white flash every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) round white concrete tower. Lighthouse painted white. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on an islet about 7 km (4 mi) west of Nanpeng Dao. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-4646; Admiralty P3405.5; NGA 19988.
Dà'ào Zuǐ
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 49 m (161 ft); white or red light depending on direction, 2 s on, 4 s off. 8.5 m (28 ft) white masonry tower. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a prominent cape at the eastern entrance to Sānyā Bay. Site status unknown. CN-4612; Admiralty P3405.62.
Gézhōu (?)
Date unknown. Active (?); listed with focal plane 41 m (135 ft); flash every 2 s, white or red depending on direction. 4 m (13 ft) white masonry tower. No photo available and the small light is hard to see in Google's satellite view. The light has been dropped from the Admiralty list. Located on an island sheltering the harbor of Dōngpíngzhèn, about 4 km (2.5 mi) northwest of Dà'ào Zuǐ. Site status unknown. CN-4613; ex-Admiralty P3405.64.
Yángdōng Dàtǎlǐng Xīàn
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 15 m (49 ft) round white tower mounted on a square concrete pier. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located just offshore on the east side of the mouth of the Sānyā River. Site status unknown. CN-4616.5; Admiralty P3405.695.
Nanpengdao Light
Nánpéngdǎo Light, South China Sea, Yángjiāng
PRC MSA Guǎngdōng Region photo (no longer online)

Jiāngchéng District: Hǎilíng Island Lighthouses
Hǎilíng is a 40 km (25 mi) long island just off the coast. It is accessible by a bridge.

Hǎilíng Guìshān
2012. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); two white flashes every 8 s. 10 m (33 ft) white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Not to be confused with the much better known Guìshān lighthouse of the Pearl River estuary (see the Pearl River page). Located on a small island off the southeastern tip of the island of Hǎilíng. Site status unknown. CN-4646.5; Admiralty P3405.47.
Dàpèngjiāo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 8 m (26 ft); white flash every 4 s. 8 m (26 ft) white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a rocky reef about 5 km (3 mi) southeast of Guìshān. Accessible only by boat. CN-4647; Admiralty P3405.48.
Sānshān
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a small island about 2 km (1.25 mi) south of the central spouth coast of Hǎilíng. Accessible only by boat. CN-4647.05; Admiralty P3405.46.
* Dàjiǎo Zui (Hǎilíngshān Dǎo, Hai-ling-shan Tao)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 44 m (144 ft); white flash every 5 s. 13 m (43 ft) round white concrete tower. Wén Tiěqiáo has the photo at right and Google has a satellite view. NGA has confused this light with the Mǎwěi Zhōu lighthouse, listing the location and Admiralty number of that light. Located on a promontory southeast of Zhapōzhèn. Accessible by road. Site presumably open, tower closed. CN-4647.8; Admiralty P3405.1.
Běiluòwān (Beiluohuan)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) round concrete tower painted white. Wu Guo has a distant view, a 2018 drone view is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the foot of a headland halfway between the Dàjiǎo Zui and Mǎwěi Zhōu lights. Site status unknown, but the light is seen from a nearby public beach. CN-4647.9; Admiralty P3405.05.
Mǎwěi Zhōu (Hǎilíngshān, Bailingshan) (2)
1997 (station established 1957). Active; focal plane 44.5 m (146 ft); white flash every 5 s. 12 m (39 ft) round cylindrical masonry tower with gallery. Lighthouse covered with white ceramic tiles. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a small island off the southwestern tip of the island of Hǎilíng, about 25 km (15 mi) south southwest of Yángjiāng. Site status unknown. CN-4648; Admiralty P3405; NGA 19992.

Dàjiǎo Zui Light, Hǎilíng, April 2020
Google Maps photo by Wén Tiěqiáo
Zhápō Gǎng (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); green flash every 4 s. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) square white concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Wén Tiěqiáo has a distant view and Google has a drone view (a portion is seen at right) and a satellite view. The 2016 Chinese light list describes a 7.5 m (25 ft) masonry tower; it also describes an identical tower on the north breakwater that evidently has been removed. Located on the south breakwater at Zhapōzhèn, a fishing port in the lee of Hǎilíngshān. Site status unknown. CN-4650; Admiralty P3405.2.

Yángxī County Lighthouses
Shuāngshāndǎo (Shuāngshān Dǎo, Double Island)
2012. Active; focal plane 50 m (164 ft); two white flashes every 8 s. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a small island about 3 km (2 mi) northeast of the Changhuan Zui lighthouse (next entry). Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-4650.85; Admiralty P3404.96.
Qīngwānzǐ (Changhuan Zui)
2007. Active; focal plane 70 m (230 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 13 m (43 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory about 30 km (19 mi) south of Yángxī. Site status unknown. CN-4645.28; Admiralty P3404.9; NGA 19995.
Shùwěidǎo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 29 m (95 ft); white flash every 8 s. 8 m (26 ft) round white masonry tower. No photo available and the tower is not seen in Google's satellite view. Located on a small island off Héběi harbor. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-4652; Admiralty P3404.8.
Fúhúzǐ (Fuhu Zui)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 85 m (279 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 13.5 m (44 ft) white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a forested promontory about 10 km (6 mi) east of Shābāzhèn. Site status unknown. CN-4652.3; Admiralty P3404.73.
Niúbíkǒngdǎo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a rocky islet about 5 km (3 mi) south of Shābāzhèn. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-4652.5; Admiralty P3404.65.

Zhápō Gǎng Light, Hǎilíng, July 2018
Google Maps drone view by pxkill WECHAT_

Màomíng Prefecture Lighthouses

Diànbái District Lighthouses
Dàzhūzhōu
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 101 m (331 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 15 m (49 ft) round cylindrical red concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on an island about 6 km (4 mi) off the Diànshān peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-4655; Admiralty P3404.4; NGA 19992.5.
Báidānshí
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); white flash every 4 s. 8 m (26 ft) round white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a dangerous reef off the cape of Liántóu (Lotus Head). Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-4656.4; Admiralty P3404.2; NGA 19995.3.
* Dàfàngjī
1996 (station established 1956). Active; focal plane 138 m (453 ft); white flash every 6 s. 13 m (43 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse covered with red ceramic tiles. Jingbin Li's photo is at the top of this page and Google has a satellite view. Located at the highest point of the island of Dàfàngjī, about 18 km (11 mi) southwest of Diànshān and 80 km (50 mi) northeast of Zhànjiāng. Accessible only by boat, but ferry service is available. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS PRC-017; CN-4669.5; Admiralty P3404; NGA 19996.
* Bóhè Gǎng
2010. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); quick-flashing white light. 16 m (52 ft) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower, covered with tiles colored in red and white horizontal bands. Yizhi Li has a photo (a portion is seen at right), Micty Deng has a distant view, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a jetty on the west side of the entrance to Bóhè harbor at Bóhèzhèn. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. CN-4669.05; Admiralty P3404.1.
Màomíng (Shuǐdōng) Gǎng
2010(?). Active; focal plane about 11 m (36 ft); white flash every 4 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on an island on the east side of the estuary leading to Màomíng. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-4670; Admiralty P3403.6.
Yánjīnglǐng
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 111 m (364 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 7 m (23 ft) round cylindrical white masonry tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located atop a sharp, rocky ridge projecting into the sea on the south coast of the Diànbái District. Site status unknown. CN-4674.3; Admiralty P3403.4.
Àonèihǎi
2015. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); white flash every 4 s. 10 m (33 ft) round stone tower painted white. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located just behind the beach in the Diànbái District. Site status unknown. CN-4674.32; Admiralty P3403.28.

Bóhè Gǎng Light, Bóhèzhèn, August 2012
Google Maps photo by Yizhi Li

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: Northeast: Pearl River | Southwest: Zhànjiāng

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Posted December 17, 2008. Last checked and revised March 27, 2024. Lighthouses: 42; lightships and lightfloats: 3. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.