Lighthouses of China: Southern Fújiàn

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 Fújiàn (formerly spelled Fukien or Fuchien) is located on the southeastern coast of the country, facing Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait. The coastline is rugged and irregular, with many islands and reefs threatening unwary navigators.

Fújiàn is divided into nine prefectural-level or subprovincial-level cities, six of them facing the coast. This page covers Zhāngpǔ, Dōngshān, and Zhào'ān Counties, part of the prefectural-level city of Zhāngzhōu, in the southernmost part of the province. Zhāngzhōu also includes the county-level city of Lónghǎi; its lighthouses are described on the Xiàmén page.

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. All the lights on this page are maintained by the Xiàmén MSA office, which is part of the Shànghǎi 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.
Navionics Charts
Navigation chart for southern Fújiàn.
 

Guleitou Light
Gǔléitóu Light, Zhāngpǔ County
PRC Ministry of Transport photo

Zhāngpǔ County Lighthouses

Liù'áo Peninsula Lighthouses
Línméngāo (Línjìnyǔ) (2)
2010 (station establishment date unknown). Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 8 m (26 ft) round concrete tower, covered with tile colored with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Bing has a satellite view. Located on the southern point of Línjìnyǔ, an island about 2 km (1.25 mi) offshore. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-3200.2; Admiralty P3605.5; NGA 19187.
Nándìngdǎo (2)
1987 (station establishment date unknown). Active; focal plane 60 m (198 ft); white flash every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical stone tower with gallery, covered in ceramic tiles colored in black and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a small island about 12 km (7.5 mi) off the coast of the Liù'áo Peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. CN-3201; Admiralty P3605; NGA 19188.
Jiāngjūntóu (Jiaotongjiao)
1989. Active; focal plane 28 m (92 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 15 m (49 ft) hexagonal cylindrical stone tower with gallery, covered in ceramic tiles colored in red and white vertical stripes. A Xiàmén MSA Office photo is at right and Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory about 12 km (7.5 mi) east of Zhāngpǔ. Accessible by road. Site status unknown (access may be blocked by an industrial area). CN-3202; Admiralty P3604.5.
Jiāngjūnyǔ (Jiāngjūn Yǔ)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10.5 m (35 ft); white flash every 2 s. 6.5 m (21 ft) round concrete tower covered with white tile. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a skerry about 4 km (2.5 mi) southwest of Jiāngjūntóu. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-3202.5; Admiralty P3604.3.
Xièjiǎo (Xiè Jiǎo, Crab Point)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); white flash every 4 s. 6.5 m (21 ft) round concrete tower covered with white tile. No photo available but Bing has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a promontory on the east coast of the Liù'áo Peninsula. Site status unknown. CN-3202.7; Admiralty P3603.97.

Jiāngjūntóu (Jiaotongjiao) Light, Zhāngpǔ
PRC Maritime Safety Administration Xiàmén Office photo
Píngpányǔ (Píngpán Yǔ)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 8 m (26 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 6.5 m (21 ft) round concrete tower covered with white tile. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a reef about 2 km (1.25 mi) east of Xièjiǎo. CN-3202.8; Admiralty P3603.973.
Báijiāo (Qian Yan, White Reef) (2)
1985 (station established 1967). Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); white flash every 4 s. 12 m (39 ft) hexagonal cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, covered in white ceramic tiles. No photo available but Bing has a satellite view. Located on a small island about 7 km (4.5 mi) east of the Liù'áo Peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. CN-3203; Admiralty P3604; NGA 19192.
Dōngjiāo (East Reef) (2)
1962 (station established 1956). Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 10 m (33 ft) hexagonal cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, covered in red ceramic tiles. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a reef about 1.2 km (3/4 mi) east of the southeastern tip of the Liù'áo Peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. CN-3204; Admiralty P3603.98.
Liù'áo Nán (Liù'áo South)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 6.5 m (21 ft) round concrete tower covered with white tile. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on the southern tip of the Liù'áo Peninsula. Site status unknown. CN-3204.1; Admiralty P3603.975.

Láiyǔ Islands Lighthouses
The Láiyǔ Islands are a group of small, closely-spaced islands extending into the Taiwan Strait off the east side of the Gǔléi Peninsula; they form the southern boundary of Fútán Bay.

Héngyǔ (Héng Yǔ, Cross Island)
2006. Active; focal plane 63 m (207 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, covered in ceramic tiles colored in red and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Bing has a distant satellite view. Located at the eastern end of a small island at the southern entrance to Fútán Wān. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. CN-3217.6; Admiralty P3603.7; NGA 19193.5.
Wàiyīngyǔ (Wàiyīng Yǔ) (2)
1985 (station established 1967). Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, covered in ceramic tiles colored in red and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on an islet, the outermost of the Láiyǔ Islands, about 8 km (5 mi) southwest of Héngyǔ. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. CN-3218; Admiralty P3603.6; NGA 19193.
Shāzhōudǎo (Shāzhōu Dǎo, Sandbar Island)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); white flash every 4 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, covered in ceramic tiles colored with red and white horizontal bands. Zhihui Su has a very distant view from the mainland (the light is at the tip of the island in the distance) and Bing has an indistinct satellite view. Located on the northern tip of Shāzhōudǎo, an island about 2 km (1.25 mi) long off the east side of the Gǔléi Peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. CN-3218.6; Admiralty P3603.4; NGA 19194.
Shāzhōudǎo (Shāzhōu Dǎo) South
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); four white flashes every 10 s. 6.5 m (21 ft) round concrete tower covered with white tile. No closep photo available and the tower is hard to see in Google's satellite view. In Zhihui Su's distant view the lighthouse is atop the island on the horizon to the right of center. Located on a small island about 1.2 km (3/4 mi) northwest of the Qingcaoyu light (next entry). Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-3218.7; Admiralty P3603.53.
Shènglínyǔ (Shènglín Yǔ) (2)
1965 (station established 1956). Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 11 m (36 ft) round cylindrical stone tower with gallery, covered in black ceramic tiles. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a small island marking the west side of the narrow passage on the east side of the Gǔléi Peninsula about 11 km (7 mi) northeast of the tip of the peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. CN-3219; Admiralty P3603.5.
Qīngcǎoyǔ (Qīngcǎo Yǔ, Grass Island)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); white flash every 2 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, covered in ceramic tiles colored with green and white horizontal bands. No closeup photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. In Zhihui Su's distant view the lighthouse is atop the island on the horizon and on the right. Located on a small island marking the east side of the narrow passage on the east side of the Gǔléi Peninsula about 13 km (8 mi) northeast of the tip of the peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. CN-3219.6; Admiralty P3603.55; NGA 19195.

Gǔléi Peninsula Lighthouses
Dàshāndōng
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); white flash every 4 s. 6.5 m (21 ft) round concrete tower covered with white tile. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on the tip of a promontory about 8 km (5 mi) northeast of Gǔléitóu. Site status unknown. CN-3219.8; Admiralty P3603.2.
* Gǔléitóu (Dōngshān, Thunder Head)
1993. Active; focal plane 114 m (374 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 23.5 m (77 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern, gallery, four ribs, and a large control room, attached to a 1-story administration building. Building covered with white ceramic tiles; lantern painted red. 4-story coast guard station and other station buildings. A photo is at the top of this page, a closeup photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. This modern lighthouse was built to guide shipping in the southern entrance to the Taiwan (Formosa) Strait, and it also marks the entrance to Dōngshān Bay and the harbor of Dōngshān. Located on the heights at the southern tip of the Gǔléi Peninsula. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. CN-3220; Admiralty P3603; NGA 19200.
Yǒushuǐyányǔ (Yǒushuǐyán Yǔ)
2006. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 6.5 m (21 ft) round hourglass-shaped concrete tower covered with tile colored in red and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Bing has a distant satellite view. This light and the Tǎyǔ North light (see below) frame the entrance channel for Dōngshān Bay. Located at the south end of an island in Dōngshān Bay about 3 km (2 mi) northwest of Gǔléitóu. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-3220.01; Admiralty P3600.98.
Bìzǐyǔ (Bìzǐ Yǔ)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); white flash every 4 s. 6.5 m (21 ft) round concrete tower covered with white tile. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located on an island off the west coast of the Gǔléi peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-3224.51; Admiralty P3600.95.

Dōngshān County Lighthouses

Dōngshān Harbor Lighthouses
Dōngshān Báiyǔ (Bái Yǔ, White Islet) (2)
Date unknown (station established 1961). Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); white flash every 1.5 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower covered with tiles colored with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. The original lighthouse was a 4 m (13 ft) pyramidal stone tower painted black. Located on a skerry in the northern entrance to Dōngshān harbor. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-3234; Admiralty P3600.93.
Dōngshān Wān Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 7.5 m (25 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 6.5 m (21 ft) hexagonal white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located just off the end of a breakwater pier in Dōngshān harbor. Site status unknown but this light would be easy to see from the waterfront. CN-3232; Admiralty P3600.84.
Mǎ'ānyǔ (Mǎ'ān Yǔ, Saddle Island) (2)
Date unknown (station established 1954). Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); two white every 6 s. 8 m (26 ft) round concrete tower colored with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on an island off the Dōngshān waterfront. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-3223; Admiralty P3600.88.
Tiědīngyǔ (Tiědīng Yǔ) (3)
1986 (station established 1956). Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); white flash every 1.5 s. 8 m (26 ft) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower covered with tiles colored white with a black vertical stripes. Albert Lee has a photo, a more distant view is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a small island in Dōngshān Bay about 1 km (0.6 mi) northwest of the Tǎyǔ North light. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-3222; Admiralty P3600.83.
Tǎyǔ Běi (Tǎyǔ North)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17.5 m (57 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower covered with tiles colored with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located at the north end of an island in Dōngshān Bay about 1.8 km (1.1 mi) due west of the Youshuiyanyu light. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-3221.5; Admiralty P3600.99.
Dōngményǔ Xī (Dōngményǔ West)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 8.5 m (28 ft); white flash every 4 s. 4.5 m (14 ft) round stone tower painted black. Chen Huang has a view from the sea (a portion is seen at right) but the tower is hard to see in Google's satellite view. Located on a reef off the western tip of Dōngmén (East Gate) Island in the entrance to Dōngshān Bay. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-3221; Admiralty P3601.

Dōngményǔ Xī Light, Dōngshān, July 2010
Google Maps photo by Chen Huang

Dōngshān Peninsula Lighthouses
Nányǔ (Nán Yǔ, South Island) (2)
2010 (station establishment date unknown). Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower covered with tiles colored with green and white horizontal bands. Shànghǎi MSA's photo is at right, R.L.X. Lamberto has a 2023 photo, and Bing has a satellite view. Located at the south end of an island just off the beach in Dōngshān about 2.5 km (1.5 mi) southwest of the Dōngshān Bay entrance. May be accessible on foot at low tide. Site status unknown. CN-3244.3; Admiralty P3600.8.
Fùdǐngyǔ (Fùdǐng Yǔ) (2)
2010 (station establishment date unknown). Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); white flash every 4 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower covered with tiles colored with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on an islet about 1 km (0.6 mi) south of the Nányǔ light. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-3244.5; Admiralty P3600.5; NGA 19201.
Lúcíjiāo (Lúcí Jiāo, Cormorant Reef)
2011. Active; focal plane 6 m (20 ft); white flash every 2 s. 5 m (17 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower colored with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Bing has a distant satellite view. Located on an isolated reef about 3.5 km (2 mi) southeast of Fùdǐngyǔ. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. CN-3244.6; Admiralty P3600.3; NGA 19202.
Sūjiānjiǎo (Sūjiān Jiǎo)
2006. Active; focal plane 28 m (92 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower covered with tiles colored with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory at the southeast corner of the Dōngshān peninsula. Site status unknown. CN-3245.3; Admiralty P3598.45.
Nanyu Light
Nányǔ Light, Dōngshān, November 2010
PRC Maritime Safety Administration Shànghǎi Region photo
Xiōngdìyǔ (Xiōngdì Yǔ, Brother Island)
1988. Active; focal plane 73.5 m (241 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 12 m (39 ft) hexagonal cylindrical stone tower with gallery, listed as covered in ceramic tiles colored in red and white vertical stripes. Google has a satellite view. Located on a small island in the Taiwan Strait, about 30 km (19 mi) southeast of Dōngshān. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. CN-3246.1; Admiralty P3598; NGA 19205.
Shīyǔ (Shih Hsu, Lion Island, Cliff island) (3)
1984 (station established 1956). Active; focal plane 55 m (180 ft); white flash every 5 s. 7 m (23 ft) round hourglass-shaped concrete tower with gallery, covered in ceramic tiles colored in black and white horizontal bands. MSA's photo is at right and Google has a satellite view. Located on a high island off the southeastern end of the Dōngshān peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. CN-3246; Admiralty P3598.5; NGA 19204.
Lóngyǔ (Lóng Yǔ, Long Island) (2)
2010 (station established 2005). Active; focal plane 18 m (56 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower covered with tiles colored with green and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on the southern tip of an island off the southeastern end of the Dōngshān peninsula, about 5 km (3 mi) southwest of the Shīyǔ light. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-3246.01; Admiralty P3597.5.
Hòujiǎo (Hòu Jiǎo, Horseshoe Crab Point) (2)
2009 (station establishment date unknown). Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); flash every 4 s, white or red depending on direction. 8 m (26 ft) hexagonal cylindrical concrete tower covered with white tiles. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory at the southern tip of the Dōngshān peninsula. Site status unknown. CN-3247; Admiralty P3597; NGA 19203.
Zhào'āntóu (Zhào'ān Tóu, Zhào'ān Point) (2)
2010 (station establishment date unknown). Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower covered with tiles colored with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Bing has a satellite view. This light marks the east side of the entrance to Zhào'ān Bay. Located at the southwestern tip of the Dōngshān peninsula. May be accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-3247.2; Admiralty P3596.6.
Chéngzhōudǎo (Chéngzhōu Dǎo, City Island)
2006. Active; focal plane 38 m (125 ft); white flash every 4 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower covered with tiles colored with black and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory at the south end of Chéngzhōudǎo, an island in the center of the entrance to Zhào'ān Bay. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-3247.4; Admiralty P3596.7.
Shiyu Light
Shīyǔ Light, Dōngshān
PRC Maritime Safety Administration Shànghǎi Region photo

Zhào'ān County Lighthouse

Gōngkǒuwàiyǔ (Gōng Kǒuwài Yǔ) (2)
2009 (station establishment date unknown). Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower covered with white tiles. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. This light marks the west side of the entrance to Zhào'ān Bay. Located on an islet just off the southern tip of the Méilǐngzhèn peninsula, marking the west side of the entrance to Zhào'ān Bay. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-3251; Admiralty P3596.5.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Xiàmén | South: Shàntóu Area

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Posted July 28, 2008. Checked and revised February 18, 2024. Lighthouses: 38. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.