Lighthouses of China: Shípǔ Area, Zhèjiāng

The People's Republic of China (中华, Zhōnghuá in Chinese) 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 Zhèjiāng (formerly spelled Chekiang) occupies the central coast of the country, south of Shànghǎi and north of the Formosa Strait. The province faces east on the East China Sea. For the most part the coastline is hilly and irregular, with more than 3000 islands of all sizes offshore.

Zhèjiāng is divided into eleven prefectural-level or subprovincial-level cities. This page includes lighthouses of the Shípǔ area at the southeastern corner of the Xiàngshān Peninsula in Xiàngshān County, the southernmost portion of the prefectural-level city of Níngbō. The area also includes several large islands south of Shípǔ and facing the entrance to the large estuary of Sānmén Bay.

Lighthouses in China are maintained by the PRC Maritime Safety Administration. The administration is organized in four regional administrations, with offices in the major ports. All the lights on this page are maintained by the Zhènhǎi MSA office.

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 Chinese light list 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.
Navionics Charts
Navigation chart for Zhèjiāng,

Beiyushan Light
Běiyúshān Light, Yúshān Islands
Níngbō Tourist Development Office photo

Tóngwǎmén Area Lighthouses
Tóngtóuzui
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); red flash every 3 s. 8.5 m (25 ft) round concrete tower colored with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located at the tip of a reef on the eastern tip of the island of Tóngtóudǎo, marking the start of the approach to Tóngwǎmén and Shípǔ. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2585.1; Admiralty P3683.3.
Lúoboshān East
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white flash every 4 s. 9.5 m (31 ft) round white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located at the eastern tip of the island of Lúoboshān marking a narrow northern entrance to Tóngwǎmén. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2586; Admiralty P3682.84.
Tóngbǎnjiāo (Copper Coin Reef)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); white flash every 2 s. 7.5 m (25 ft) round white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located on a reef about 7 km (4 mi) east of Tóngwǎmén, a harbor district on the northeast side of Shípǔ. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2586.5; Admiralty P3683.
Tóngwǎmén East
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); white flash every 4 s. 7.5 m (25 ft) round white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located at the tip of a promontory sheltering the east side of Tóngwǎmén harbor. Site status unknown. CN-2587; Admiralty P3682.83.
Tóngwǎmén West
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); red flash every 4 s. 7.5 m (25 ft) round white concrete tower. The light is seen under the far end of a graceful through-arch bridge that spans the entrance to the harbor. Google has a distant satellite view. Located on the west side of the entrance to Tóngwǎmén harbor. Site status unknown. CN-2588; Admiralty P3682.832.

Shípǔ Harbor Lighthouses
Although still classified as a town, Shípǔ has grown into a city of about 100,000 residents near the southern tip of the Xiàngshān Peninsula. It is an important fishing port and a center of the seafood industry.

Chèngzhùjiāo (Jiaowei Dao) (2)
2003 (station establishment date unknown) . Active; focal plane 33 m (108 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 11 m (36 ft) concrete tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. The original light was on a small square masonry tower, painted white. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located atop a small island in the middle of Shípǔ Bay, the open roads leading to Shípǔ. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2592; Admiralty P3682.8; NGA 18981.5.
* Dōngmén (Shípǔgǎng East Entrance)
1916. Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); three flashes every 10 s, white or red depending on direction. 8.5 m (28 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. The tower is unpainted white concrete, lantern painted red. A photo is at right, a 2021 photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. This historic lighthouse has been nicely restored and appears to be located in a public park. Located on a promontory on the north side of the narrow entrance to the traditional harbor of of Shípǔ (Shípǔgǎng). Site open, tower closed. CN-2589.6; Admiralty P3682.82.

Dōngmén Light, Shípǔ, October 2014
Wikimedia Creative Commons photo by Siyuwj
Tàiwǎngyǔ (2)
2007 (station establishment date unknown). Active; focal plane 53 m (174 ft); white flash every 4 s. 9 m (30 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, painted white. A photo is at right and Google has a satellite view. Note the original lighthouse beside the current one. Located atop the island of Tàiwǎngyǔ in the harbor of Shípǔ. CN-2598; Admiralty P3682.7.
Huángpàngjiāo (Huángpàng Jiāo) (2)
2007 (station establishment date unknown). Active; focal plane 10 m; red flash every 4 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, painted red. No photo of the new light is available, but Bing has a satellite view. Located on a reef southwest of the island of Tàiwǎngyǔ in the harbor of Shípǔ. CN-2599; Admiralty P3682.65.
Zhōngjièshān (Zhōngjiè Shān)
2006. Active; focal plane 17.5 m (57 ft); three white flashes every 6 s. 10.5 m (34 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, covered with white tiles. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located at the west end of an island in the channel between Nántiándǎo and the mainland, about 5 km (3 mi) west of Shípǔ. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2600; Admiralty P3682.55.
Niúluǎnjiāo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 8 m (26 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 8 m (26 ft) white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a shoal on the north side of the harbor about 1.6 km (1 mi) east of the Sānménkǒu Bridge. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2605.5; Admiralty P3682.58.
Fànzèngshān
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11.5 m (38 ft); red flash every 4 s. 13 m (43 ft) round conical white concrete tower. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located under the south end of the Sānménkǒu Bridge, which connects Shípǔ to Fànzèng Island. Site status unknown. CN-2606; Admiralty P3682.582.

Tàiwǎngyǔ Light, Shípǔ, August 2020
1:07 frame in a video by bilibili.com
Wǎnzhǎnjiāo (Wǎnzhǎn Jiāo)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 14.5 m (48 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower colored black with one red horizontal band. No photo available but Bing has a satellite view. Located on a reef off the northwest corner of Fànzèng Island. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2607; Admiralty P3682.583.
Diéyǔshān (Díushìshān)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 29.5 m (97 ft); four white flashes every 6 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a small island off the northwest corner of Fànzèng Island, about 300 m (0.2 mi) west of the Wǎnzhǎnjiāo light. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2608; Admiralty P3682.584.

Nántiándǎo Area Lighthouses
Nántiándǎo is an irregularly-shaped island off the southern tip of the Xiàngshān Peninsula, separated from the mainland by Shípǔ harbor. The island is accessible by bridge.

Líméngǎng (Limen Gang East)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 8 m (26 ft); three white flashes every 6 s. 7.5 m (25 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower. The lighthouse is to the left in Zehua He's distant view of the gracefully arched bridge joining the islands of Nántiándǎo and Gāotángdǎo; Google has an indistinct satellite view. Líméngǎng is the harbor created by the strait separating the two islands on the south side of Shípǔ Harbor. Located on Nántiándǎo just north of the east end of the bridge. Site status unknown. CN-2605; Admiralty P3682.545.
Lóngzhūjiāo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); white flash every 3 s. 13 m (43 ft) black concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located at a sharp bend in the narrow channel on the northwest side of Nántiándǎo. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2603. Not listed by the Admiralty.
Jiǎbèixiā (3?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); white flash every 4 s. 10 m octagonal concrete tower, painted white. No photo of the new light is available but Google has a satellite view. Located at the southeastern tip of an island northeast of Nántiándǎo. Site status unknown. CN-2597; Admiralty P3682.6.
Xiàwānmén North (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 19 m (62 ft); two white flashes every 4 s. Approx. 16 m (52 ft) round white 2-stage tower with lantern and gallery. A photo is at right and Google has a satellite view. The 2016 Chinese light list describes a tower only 5 m (17 ft) tall. Located on a point of land about 1 km (0.6 mi) southeast of the Jiǎbèixiā light. Site status unknown. CN-2594. Not listed by the Admiralty.
Zhàlánjiāo
2018. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); white flash every 2 s. 10 m (33 ft) concrete tower colored with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a reef in the south entrance to the narrow channel on the northeast side of Nántiándǎo. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2595.2; Admiralty P3682.59.

Xiàwānmén North Light, Shípǔ, October 2021
Google Maps photo by zhiguo shi
Wūjiāo (Wū Jiāo) (2)
1982 (station establishment date unknown). Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 12 m (39 ft) octagonal pyramidal concrete tower with double gallery, covered with ceramic tiles colored in red and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located atop a rocky islet off the eastern tip of Tántóushān, an inhabited island off the east coast of Nántiándǎo. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2590; Admiralty P3683.5.
Níluóyǔ (Níluó Yǔ)
2008. Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); four white flashes every 6 s. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower, colored with black and white horizonal bands. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a small island about 10 km (6 mi) east of Nántiándǎo. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2596.6; Admiralty P3683.48; NGA 18981.3.
Guǐjiāoshān (Guǐjiāo Shān, Húsūntiěliàndǎo)
2008. Active; focal plane 13.5 m (44 ft); three white flashes every 6 s. 9 m round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern painted red. Shànghǎi MSA's photo of this new light is at right and Bing has a satellite view. Located on a small island just off the southeastern coast of Nántiándǎo. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2621.1; Admiralty P3682.52.

Sānmén Bay Entrance Lighthouse (see also Tàizhōu)
Sānmén Bay, south of Nántiándǎo, is a broad estuary on the boundary between the prefectural-level cities of Níngbō and Tàizhōu.

Mítuódǎo (Mítuó Dǎo, Amida Island)
1994 (station established 1955). Active; focal plane 49 m (161 ft); white flash every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, covered with white ceramic tiles. No photo available but Bing has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a small island about 7 km (4 mi) southeast of Nántiándǎo, marking the entrance to Sānmén Bay. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2622; Admiralty P3682.5.
Cǎoxiébà Yǔ (Qaoziehpo, Tsao-hsieh-po)
1991 (station establishment date unknown). Active; focal plane 28.5 m (94 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 10 m (33 ft) hexagonal cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, covered with white ceramic tiles. No photo available but Bing has a satellite view. Located on an islet about 8 km (5 mi) southwest of the southern tip of Nántiándǎo. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2623; Admiralty P3682.3.
Guāngtóujiāo (Guāngtóu Jiāo, Bald Reef)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 6 m (30 ft); white flash every 4 s. 7.5 m (25 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower, covered with tiles colored in red and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a reef in Nantian Bay, southwest of Nántiándǎo. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2605.1; Admiralty P3682.285; NGA 18981.6.
Héngshān
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 19 m (61 ft); three white flashes every 6 s. 8 m (26 ft) round white concrete tower. No photo available but Bing has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a small island on the north side of the entrance to Sānmén Bay, southwest of Nántiándǎo. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2622.5; Admiralty P3682.28.
Guijiaoshan Light
Guǐjiāoshān Light, Nántiándǎo
PRC MSA Shànghǎi Region photo

Southern Nínghǎi County Lighthouses
These lights are in the northwestern corner of Sānmén Bay.

Guǎfùjiāo (Guafa Jiao, Shuang Jiao, Widow Reef) (2)
2003. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); two red flashes every 6 s. 8 m (26 ft) round concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is red. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located on a mid-channel shoal in Lìyànggǎng (Lìyàng Harbor) at the extreme northwestern corner of Sānmén Bay. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2616; Admiralty P3682.45.
Tóujiāo (Tóu Jiāo, Head Reef) (2)
2003. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); red flash every 4 s. 8 m (26 ft) round concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is red. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located on a shoal in the upper end of Lìyànggǎng at the extreme northwestern corner of Sānmén Bay. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2617; Admiralty P3682.46.

Xiàngshān County: Yúshān Islands Lighthouse
The Yúshān (Yu Shan) Islands include two inhabited islands (Běiyúshān and Nányúshān) and a scattering of islets and reefs about 40 km (25 mi) southeast of Nantian and a similar distance east of the entrance to Sānmén Bay. The islands were occupied by Japan during the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-95), and the light station was established by Japan. The permanent population of the islands is less than 400, but it may increase: the Níngbō City government has a plan to develop the islands as a deep sea fishing resort.

Běiyúshān (Yú Shān, North Yushan)
1895. Active; focal plane 103 m (338 ft); two white flashes every 20 s. 15 m (49 ft) round cast iron tower with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands. 2-story keeper's house and other light station buildings. A photo is at the top of this page, Sheng Yining has a photo, Lei Zou has a closeup, and Google has a satellite view. This is the original Japanese lighthouse, but it had to be repaired after World War II and the large modern lantern was installed in 1986. The station is staffed by coast guard personnel. Located on Běiyúshān (North Yushan Island). Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS PRC-008; CN-2636; Admiralty P3682; NGA 18982.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Xiàngshān Area | South: Northern Tàizhōu

Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key

Posted May 12, 2008. Checked and revised November 25, 2023. Lighthouses: 29. Site copyright 2023 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.