Lighthouses of China: Léizhōu Peninsula, Guǎngdōng

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.

Guǎngdōng is divided into 21 prefectural-level cities. The prefectural-level city of Zhànjiāng is a major port near the south end of the province. This page lists lighthouses of the Léizhōu Peninsula at the southern end of Zhànjiāng Prefecture. The peninsula separates the South China Sea on the east from the Běibù Wān or Northern Bay (Gulf of Tonkin) on the west. The 30 km (19 mi) wide Qióngzhōu Strait separates the end of the peninsula from the island province of Hǎinán. The peninsula is the southernmost point of mainland China.

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. 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, which is included in the Guǎngzhōu Region.

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
Chinese English Pinyin Dictionary
A useful tool for juggling the representations of Chinese names.
Online List of Lights - China
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
Leuchttürme Chinas auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse.
Navionics Charts
Navigation chart for the peninsula.

Luodou Sha Light
Luódòu Shā Light, Xúwén County
PRC MSA Guǎngdōng Region photo

Xúwén County Lighthouses

Hé'ān Area Lighthouses
Běilìdǎo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 11 m (36 ft); white flash every 4 s. 7 m (23 ft) round white concrete tower. No photo available and the light is not seen in Google's indistinct satellite view. Located on the beach on the west side of Běilì Island, just inside a passage called the North Běilì Gate. Site open, tower closed. CN-4800; Admiralty P3358.7.
Dōngsōngdǎo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 11 m (36 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 7 m (23 ft) round white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located just off the south end of Dōngsōng Island. Site open, tower closed. CN-4800.1; Admiralty P3358.8.
Liùjídǎo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 11 m (36 ft); white flash every 4 s. 7 m (23 ft) round white masonry tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located at the port on the south end of Liùjí Island on the approach to Hé'ān. Site open, tower closed. CN-4806.4; Admiralty P3357.7.
Jǐnhè
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 11 m (36 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 7 m (23 ft) round white masonry tower. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on the beach at the fishing port of Jǐnhè, west of Wàiluózhèn. Site open, tower closed. CN-4806.6; Admiralty P3357.73.

East Coast Lighthouses
Báimáotáng
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); quick-flashing white light. 11 m (36 ft) white stone tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory about 3 km (2 mi) south of Wàiluózhèn. Site status unknown. CN-4808; Admiralty P3357.82; NGA 20121.3.
Hòuhǎi
About 2014. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); quick-flashing white light. 16 m (52 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a ridge in the village of Hòuhǎiběi. Site status unknown. CN-4801; Admiralty P3357.75; NGA 20121.5.
Xiàliáozǎi
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); quick-flashing white light. 8 m (26 ft) round red concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a dune on the coast of Hòushā Island. Site status unknown. CN-4802; Admiralty P3357.78; NGA 20121.
Xiàgǎng (2?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft) (?); quick-flashing white light. Described as an 11 m (36 ft) "red post" by NGA and as a "red column" by the 2016 Chinese list, but Google's satellite view shows a tall tapered square skeletal tower. Located at the village of Xiàgǎng. Site status unknown. CN-4811; Admiralty P3357.85; NGA 20121.4.
Dà Pái (Gāopái) (2)
1996 (station established 1961). Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); white flash every 6 s. 16 m (52 ft) round concrete tower, mounted on a square foundation. Lighthouse painted white. No photo available and Google has only a fuzzy satellite view. Located on a rock off a point of land about 6 km (3.5 mi) north of Shāngǒuhǒu. Site status unknown. CN-4812; Admiralty P3357.9; NGA 20121.6.
Chèlù Mén
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); quick-flashing white light. 11 m (36 ft) round white tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located just off the beach opposite the Dà Pái Light. Site status unknown. CN-4814; Admiralty P3357.88; NGA 20121.1.
Dèngzhài
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); quick-flashing white light. 7.5 m (25 ft) round white tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located just off the beach about 3 km (2 mi) north of Peterson Point. Site status unknown. CN-4816; Admiralty P3357.96; NGA 20121.2.
Shāngǒuhǒu (Peterson Point) (2)
1995 (station established 1962). Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 12 m (39 ft) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower with gallery. Lighthouse covered with white ceramic tiles, except the first story is covered with red tiles. An MSA photo is at right and Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory on the north side of the eastern entrance to Qióngzhōu Strait about 8 km (5 mi) east of Qianshan. Site status unknown. CN-4818; Admiralty P3358; NGA 20112.
Shangouhou Light
Shāngǒuhǒu Light, Xúwén County
PRC MSA Guǎngdōng Region photo

South Coast (Qióngzhōu Strait) Lighthouses
* Luódòu Shā
1997. Active; focal plane 43 m (141 ft); white flash every 4 s. 42 m (138 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and a large, mushroom-shaped observation room. The lighthouse is white with a red vertical stripe; lantern roof painted red. An MSA photo is at the top of this page, a page for the island has a view (fourth photo on the page), and Google has a satellite view. Luódòu Shā (Sheldrake Island) is a narrow island in Qióngzhōu Strait about 8 km (5 mi) southeast of Shāngǒuhǒu. Located near the northeastern point of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower presumably open. CN-4818.1; Admiralty P3358.5; NGA 20110.
* Chìkan (Hóngkǎn) (2)
1992 (station established 1955). Inactive. 17 m (56 ft) round concrete tower with three ribs and double gallery, painted white. A video frame is at right and Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory at Chìkan about 20 km (13 mi) east of Hǎi'ān. Site probably open, tower closed.
* Chìkan (Hóngkǎn) (3)
Around 2020 (station established 1955). Active; focal plane about 70 m (230 ft); white flash every 8 s. Approx. 40 m (131 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white.; lantern dome is red. A video frame is at right and Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory at Chìkan about 20 km (13 mi) east of Hǎi'ān. Site probably open, tower closed. CN-4821; Admiralty P3336; NGA 20108.
* Páiwěijiǎo (2)
1992 (station established 1954). Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); white light, 2 s on, 2 s off. 11 m (36 ft) hexagonal concrete tower with gallery, painted white. There must be a spectacular view from this lighthouse. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. NGA lists this light with Admiralty number P3334; the number was changed in 2016. Located at the tip of a very sharp promontory pointing into the Qióngzhōu Strait about 8 km (5 mi) southeast of Hǎi'ān. Site very probably open, tower closed. CN-4822; Admiralty P3335.4; NGA 20116.
Hǎi'ān Gǎng Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); white flash every 4 s. 6 m (20 ft) round white concrete tower with gallery. Calvin Klen has a distant view and Google has a satellite view. This an approach range for the fishing port of Hǎi'ān, which is located at the end of a southeast-pointing peninsula. The range lights are on the mainland opposite the harbor facilities. Site status unknown. CN-4826; Admiralty P3335.2.
Hǎi'ān Gǎng Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 35 m (115 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 10 m (33 ft) round white concrete tower with gallery. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located about 400 m (1/4 mi) north northwest of the front light. Site status unknown. CN-4827; Admiralty P3335.21.
Hǎi'ān Gǎng Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); red flash every 4 s. 10 m (33 ft) round red concrete tower. A photo and a second photo are available and Google has a satellite view. Located on the breakwater on the west side of the entrance to Hǎi'ān harbor. Site status unknown. CN-4828.1; Admiralty P3335.32.

Chìkan (Hóngkǎn) Light, Chìkan
frame from a douyin.com video
Hǎi'ān Gǎng
2016. Active; focal plane 42 m (138 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 27 m (89 ft) round white concrete tower with lantern and gallery. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. We need a photo of this major new lighthouse! Located just west of the port area in Hǎi'ān. Site status unknown. CN-4825; Admiralty P3335.
Hǎi'ān Xīngǎng (Hǎi'ān New Port)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); green flash every 4 s. 7 m (23 ft) round white concrete tower with gallery. Honson Cai has a view from the sea, another view from the sea is available, and Google has a satellite view. Hǎi'ān is the principal port for auto ferries to Hǎikǒu, Hǎinán. Located at the end of a new pier on the west side of Hǎi'ān. Site status unknown. CN-4830.48; Admiralty P3334.8.
Sāntáng Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); white flashing light. Approx. 9 m (30 ft) white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located at the elbow of a dike (not really a breakwater) about 1.2 km (3/4 mi) northeast of the Sāntáng lighthouse (next entry). Site status unknown. CN-4830.59; Admiralty P3333.2.
Sāntáng
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 20 m (66 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view of the station. Located on a promontory about 10 km (6 mi) south of Xúwén. Site status unknown. CN-4830.6; Admiralty P3333; NGA 20107.
Jiàowěi Wān (Toudun) (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 39 m (128 ft); red flash every 5 s. 35 m (115 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern, gallery, and a large round observation room. The lighthouse is white, lantern room red. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse guides rail ferries crossing the Qióngzhōu Strait between the mainland and Hǎinán. It acts as the rear light of a range, the front light being on a lightfloat offshore. Located on a tiny island, connected to the mainland by a breakwater, at the rail ferry terminal about 15 km (9 mi) southwest of Xúwén. Site status unknown. CN-4831.8; Admiralty P3332; NGA 20106.
Sāndūnwěi
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 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 an island about 800 m (1/2 mi) northwest of the Jiàowěi Wān lighthouse. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-4831; Admiralty P3330.
** Dēnglóu Jiǎo (Cape Kami, Lighthouse Point) (3)
1980 (station established 1894). Inactive since 1995. 16 m (52 ft) round concrete tower with gallery; lantern removed. Lighthouse painted white. A 2024 photo is at right, Sungjeng Tan has a photo showing both the old and new lighthouses, and Google has a satellite view. Located near the modern lighthouse.
** Dēnglóu Jiǎo (Cape Kami, Lighthouse Point) (4)
1995 (station established 1894). Active; focal plane 34 m (111 ft); white flash every 6 s. 32 m (105 ft) hexagonal cylindrical tower with lantern, a large watch room structure, and a lower observation gallery. Lighthouse covered with ceramic tiles, colored beige with narrow blue horizontal bands. A 2024 photo is at right, MSA has a photo, a visitor has a 2019 photo (third photo on the page), Sungjeng Tan has a photo showing both the old and new lighthouses, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse stands on the southernmost point of mainland China, at the end of a long promontory about 35 km (22 mi) southwest of Xúwén. The first lighthouse, a cast iron tower, was destroyed in World War II. A second iron lighthouse was built in 1953, followed by the concrete tower in 1980. Site open; the tower may be open at least to the observation level. CN-4835; Admiralty P3328; NGA 20104.

Dēnglóu Jiǎo (Cape Kami) Light, Xúwén, February 2024
Chinese Wikipedia Creative Commons photo by

West Coast (Liúshā Bay) Lighthouses
Shuǐwěijiǎo (Shuǐwěi Jiǎo)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); white flash every 4 s. 18 m (59 ft) round concrete tower, painted white. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located ar the west point of a sandbar off Shuǐwěijiǎo, marking the entrance to Liúshā Bay, about 25 km (15 mi) north of Jiàowěi Jiǎo on the west side of the peninsula. Site status unknown. CN-4836; Admiralty P3327.3.
Liúshā Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m; two white flashes every 4 s. 9 m (30 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower, painted white. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located on the south side of Liúshā Bay about 8 km (5 mi) east of Shuǐwěi. Site status unknown. CN-4841; Admiralty P3327.6.
Liúshā Range Rear (2)
1992 (station established 1967). Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white flash every 3 s. 12 m (39 ft) round concrete tower with gallery, covered with white ceramic tiles. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on the south side of Liúshā Bay about 8 km (5 mi) east of Shuǐwěi. Site status unknown. CN-4842; Admiralty P3327.61.

Léizhōu Peninsula West Coast (Běibù Wān, Gulf of Tonkin) Lighthouses

The name Tonkin is Vietnamese, Đông Kinh, meaning "eastern capital," a former name for Hanoi. In China the Gulf of Tonkin is called the Běibù Wān, "Northern Bay."

Léizhōu City Lighthouses
Nǎ'ào
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); two red flashes every 6 s. 15 m (49 ft) round white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located offshore at the entrance to Nǎ'ào harbor, about 8 km (5 mi) northwest of the Liúshā Bay entrance. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN serial 7812610; Admiralty P3327.25.
Sìwěijiǎo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 15 m (49 ft) round concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located beside a dike at Sìwěijiǎo about 3 km (2 mi) west of Nǎ'ào. Site status unknown. CN serial 7812620; Admiralty P3327.23.
Dōngtǔjiǎo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white flash every 4 s. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) round concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a low headland on the south side of the entrance to Wūshí harbor. Site status unknown. CN-4853; Admiralty P3327.22.
Wūshí Gǎng ("Blackrock Harbor") A
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 10 m (33 ft); white flash every 3 s. 6 m (20 ft) round white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. This appears to be a front light for fishing vessels entering Wūshí Gǎng. Located at the southwestern end of the harbor. Site status unknown. CN-4852.1; Admiralty P3327.217.
Wūshí Gǎng ("Blackrock Harbor") B
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 20 m (66 ft); white flash every 3 s. 15 m (49 ft) round white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. This appears to be a rear light for fishing vessels entering Wūshí Gǎng. Located 500 m (1/3 mi) southeast of the "A" light. Site status unknown. CN-4852.11; Admiralty P3327.218.
Wūshí Gǎng Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); light characteristics unknown. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery. A photo is at right and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the long north breakwater sheltering Wūshí harbor. Site probably open, tower closed. Not listed by the Admiralty.
Yántíngjiǎo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 10 m (33 ft) round white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a marshy point about 10 km north of Wūshí harbor. Site status unknown. CN-4854; Admiralty P3327.21.
Xúhuángjiǎo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); white flash every 2.5 s. 13 m (43 ft) round concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a headland about 5 km (3 mi) southwest of Hǎikāng harbor. Site status unknown. CN-4855; Admiralty P3327.2.
Hǎikāng Gǎng
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) round concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on the headland on the south side of the entrance to Hǎikāng harbor. Site status unknown. CN serial 7812692; Admiralty P3327.192.
* Hǎikāng
2014. Active; focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); white flash every 4 s. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located at the west end of the quay on the south side of the entrance to the harbor of Hǎikāng. Site open, tower closed. CN serial 7812695; Admiralty P3327.193.

Wūshí Gǎng Breakwater Light, Wūshí, March 2018
photo posted by sina.cn
Qǐshuǐ B
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 14 m (46 ft) white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a low promontory south of the entrance to Qǐshuǐ. This light is paired with a shorter tower Qǐshuǐ A, seen in another satellite view; the lights are not listed as a range but they appear to have that function. Site status unknown. CN-4858; Admiralty P3327.16.
Yànzáo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); quick-flashing white light. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a low promontory at Yànzáo. Site status unknown. CN-4861.2; Admiralty P3327.1275.

Suìxī County Lighthouses
Cǎotánjiǎo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); flashing white light. 20 m (66 ft) round cylindrical tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. We need information about this major lighthouse. Located on a low cape at the south side of the entrance to Liàn Bay. Site status unknown. CN-4863.5; Admiralty P3327.123.
Gānlái
2012. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 20 m (66 ft) round "red and white" concrete tower. Tom Chow has a very distant street view and Google has a distant satellite view. Located on the south shore of Anpu Bay, an embayment at the northwestern corner of the Léizhōu Peninsula. Site status unknown. CN-4863.51; Admiralty P3327.124.
Běitán (Ānpù Gǎng)
2019. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); white flash every 6 s. 20 m (66 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. This light replaced two shorter lights in the CN list. Located at the end of a breakwater created with dredge spoil at Běitán ("North Pool"), a port at the east end of Ānpù Bay. Site status unknown. CN-4870; Admiralty P3319.83.

Liánjiāng City Lighthouse
Hóng Shí
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 6 m (20 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 6 m (20 ft) tower painted black with a red horizontal band. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located on a reef on the east side of the entrance to Yīngluó harbor, an inlet on the north side of Anpu Bay at the northeastern corner of the Gulf of Tonkin. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-4877; Admiralty P3319.9.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Zhànjiāng | South: Northeastern Hǎinán | West: Běihǎi

Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key

Posted December 17, 2008. Checked and revised April 9, 2024. Lighthouses: 45. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.