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Lighthouses of China: Southern Tàizhōu

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 Chinese 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 cities. This page lists lighthouses of the southern half of the prefectural-level city of Tàizhōu in the central part of the province, including the Tàizhōu Islands and the Sōngmén Peninsula area. This area did not attract much foreign interest during the colonial period and the European powers built very few lighthouses in the area. As a result all the lights listed are of recent origin and modern design, like the Xià Yǔ lighthouse at right.

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 Wēnzhōu 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; yǔ (tsu) or tuózi ("lump") is a small island, hǎi is a sea, wān is a bay, hǎixiá is a strait, hé 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 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 - East China Sea
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
Chinese English Pinyin Dictionary
A useful tool for juggling the representations of Chinese names.


Xià Yǔ Light, Tàizhōu Islands, September 2007
unattributed photo from a former blog by Bìshān Yúnsǒu

Lùqiáo District Lighthouses
The Lùqiáo District is the southern portion of the urban area of the port of Jiāojiāng (Hǎimén).

Lǐyú Běijiāo (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) round concrete tower painted with black and white horizontal bands. No photo available and the reef is not shown in Google's satellite view. The original light had a focal plane of 8 m (26 ft). Located on a reef off the coast of the Lùqiáo District. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2675; Admiralty P3672.3.
Xiànggongjiāo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); white flash every 6 s. 6.5 m (21 ft) concrete tower colored with black and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on an islet off the entrance to the small Jiànmén harbor. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2676; Admiralty P3672.5.
Húyǔ
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 27.5 m (90 ft); white flash every 5 s. 8 m (26 ft) white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located on an island on the north side of the entrance to the small harbor of Dàgǎng Bay. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2678; Admiralty P3672.25.

Jiāojiāng District: Tàizhōu Islands Lighthouses
The Tàizhōu or Dachen Islands lie about 40 km (25 mi) southeast of the Hǎimén harbor entrance. The principal islands are Shàngdàchén and Xiàdàchén. Between 1949 and 1955 the islands were controlled by the Republic of China government in Taiwan.

Shéshāndǎo (Shéshān Dǎo, Snake Island)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 44 m (144 ft); white flash every 4 s. 9 m (30 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower, colored with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Bing has a distant satellite view. Located on the small island of Shéshāndǎo, the northernmost of the Tàizhōu Islands. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2668; Admiralty P3676.5.
Xiǎojiāotóujiāo (Xiǎojiāotóu Jiāo, Xiǎojiāotóu) (3)
1999 (station established 1955). Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 12 m (39 ft) hexagonal concrete tower, faced with brick, with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white. MSA's photo is at right and Bing has a satellite view. This light and the next one mark a passsage through the center of the islands. Located on an islet north of Xiadachen Dao in the Tàizhōu Islands, about 50 km (30 mi) southeast of Jiāojiāng. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2669; Admiralty P3675.5; NGA 18984.
Tàizhōu Gāngpándǎo (2)
1994 (station established 1955). Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); red flash every 3 s. 7.5 m (25 ft) round concrete tower, covered with white tiles. No photo available but Bing has a satellite view. Located on a reef off the south side of Shàngdàchén island, in the East China Sea about 100 km (60 mi) southeast of Jiāojiāng. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2670; Admiralty P3676; NGA 18992.
Zhú Yǔ (Chu Hsu) (2)
1959 (station established 1955). Active; focal plane 63 m (207 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, colored white. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located atop an islet about 1.5 km (1 mi) west of the western tip of Xiàdàchén Dao. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2672; Admiralty P3674; NGA 18996.
Xià Yǔ
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 153.5 m (504 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 11 m (36 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, colored with red and white horizontal bands. A photo is at the top of this page and Google has a distant satellite view. Located on the island at the southeastern end of the Tàizhōu Islands. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2674.5; Admiralty P3675.
Liánzǐjiāo (Liánzǐ Jiāo)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located on a reef off the southwestern end of the Tàizhōu Islands. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2674; Admiralty P3674.5.

Xiaojiaotoujiao Light
PRC MSA Shànghǎi Region photo

Wēnlǐng City (Sōngmén Peninsula Area) Lighthouses
The county-level city of Wēnlǐng includes the blunt Sōngmén Peninsula, which projects southward, sheltering the northern end of Aiwān Bay.

Nángǎngshān (South Harbor Mountain)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 31.5 m (103 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 8 m (26 ft) concrete tower colored with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located on the eastern tip of an island on the south side of the entrance to the small harbor of Dàgǎng Bay. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2680.02; Admiralty P3671.8.
Lóngmén
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17.5 m (57 ft); white flash every 4 s. 8 m (26 ft) white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has the satellite view at right. Located on an island about 800 m (1/2 mi) southwest of the Nángǎngshān Light. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2680.025; Admiralty P3671.72.
Xiǎoguīyǔ ("Little Turtle Island")
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); white flash every 3 s. 8 m (26 ft) white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a small island about 8 km (5 mi) southeast of the Nángǎngshān Light. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2680.04; Admiralty P3672.2.
Báijiāo (Bái Jiāo)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 31.5 m (103 ft); white flash every 5 s. 11.5 m (37 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located atop a small island off the southeast end of the Sōngmén Peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2682.6; Admiralty P3669.75.
Diàobāng Nán (Diàobāng South)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); four white flashes every 10 s. 6 m (20 ft) round cylindrical tower colored with black and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Google has a fuzzy satellite view. Located atop a small island off a prominent cape on the southeastern Sōngmén Peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2683.1; Admiralty P3669.65.

Lóngmén Light, Wēnlǐng
Google Maps satellite view
Niúshāndǎo (Niúshān Dǎo) (3)
1996 (station established 1955). Active; focal plane 48 m (157 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 9 m (30 ft) hexagonal concrete tower with gallery, covered with white tiles. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a steep ridge at the northwestern corner of Niushandao, an island off the southeast end of the Sōngmén Peninsula. Site status unknown. CN-2683; Admiralty P3669.7.
Luò Yǔ (Lo Hsu) (3)
1993 (station established 1955). Active; focal plane 79 m (259 ft); white flash every 3 s. 9 m (30 ft) hexagonal cylindrical stone tower with gallery, covered with tiles colored with red and white vertical stripes. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. This light is an important navigational aid for ships approaching Wēnzhōu from the north. Located atop a small island about 10 km (6 mi) off the end of the Sōngmén Peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2684; Admiralty P3670; NGA 19000.
Wūyǔ (Wū Yǔ, E Yu) (3)
1995 (station established 1955). Active; focal plane 55 m (180 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 12 m (39 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, covered with white ceramic tiles. No photo available and Bing has only an indistinct satellite view of the island. Located on an islet about 2.5 km (1.5 mi) off the end of the Sōngmén Peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2685; Admiralty P3669.6.
Yīsuàndǎo (Yīsuàn Dǎo, Isuan Dao) (2)
1965 (station established 1955). Active; focal plane 82 m (269 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) hexagonal cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, covered with white ceramic tiles. MSA's photo is at right and Google has a satellite view. Located on the outermost islet of the Sānsuàn group, about 8 km (5 mi) southeast of the Sōngmén Peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2686; Admiralty P3669; NGA 19004.
Hèngyǔ
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 29 m (95 ft); white flash every 3 s. 9.5 m (31 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower colored with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a steep stone ledge off the southern tip of the Sōngmén Peninsula. Site status unknown. CN-2685.5; Admiralty P3668.8.
Wàilóngyǎn (4)
1979 (station established 1955). Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); white flash every 4 s. 13 m (43 ft) round stone tower mounted on a round cylindrical stone base, all painted white. An external stairway winds around the stone base. No photo available and the reef is only a blur in Google's satellite view. The second light at this exposed location was damaged by a typhoon in 1969 and destroyed by another typhoon in 1973. The present light was repaired after being damaged by yet another typhoon in 1998. Located on a reef about 6 km (4 mi) southwest of the extreme tip of the Sōngmén Peninsula, in the entrance to Aiwān (Yevan) Bay. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2687; Admiralty P3668; NGA 19008.

Yīsuàndǎo Light, Shítángzhèn
PRC Maritime Safety Administration Shànghǎi Region photo
Gǒuējiāo (Gǒuē Jiāo)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13.5 m (44 m); two white flashes every 5 s. 9.5 m (31 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower, painted black with a red horizontal band. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a skerry off the harbor of Shítángzhèn, a port at the tip of the Sōngmén Peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2686.2; Admiralty P3668.3.

Yùhuán City: Pīshān Islands Lighthouses
The county-level city of Yùhuán includes a former island, now connected to the mainland by dikes and reclaimed land. The island/peninsula is the southernmost county of Tàizhōu and separates the East China Sea from Yuèqīng Bay to the west. The city also includes the Pīshān Islands, an archipelago extending eastward south of Aiwān Bay.

Yángyǔ ("Goat Island")
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 108 m (354 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 5.5 m (18 ft) stone tower painted white. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located atop a high island in the northwestern part of the Pīshān Islands. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2690; Admiralty P3666.5.
Dàdòngjīngdǎo
2001 (station established 1955). Active; focal plane 83 m (272 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, covered with ceramic tiles colored white with red trim. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on the northeasternmost island of the Pīshān Islands at the south end of Aiwān Bay. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2689; Admiralty P3667; NGA 19010.
Dàpíngtóu ("Big Flattop Island," Tongzhenshan)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white flash every 6 s. 8 m (26 ft) white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on an island 500 m (0.3 mi) southwest of Dàdòngjīngdǎo. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2690.3; Admiralty P3666.25.
Xiàlàngdāngdǎo (Xiàlàngdāng Dǎo, Langtang Hsu) (2)
1963 (station established 1956). Active; focal plane 60 m (197 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. 9.5 m (31 ft) octagonal cylindrical stone tower with gallery, covered with ceramic tiles colored with red and white vertical stripes. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. This modest lighthouse serves as a landfall light for Wēnzhōu. Located on a small island, the southeasternmost of the Pīshān Islands, about 70 km (45 mi) east of Wēnzhōu city. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2693; Admiralty P3665; NGA 19012.
Qiánshān (Chien Shan) (2)
1988 (station established 1955). Active; focal plane 45 m (148 ft); white flash every 4 s. 10 m (33 ft) round stone tower, painted white. No photo available but Bing has a satellite view. Located on an island at the southern end of the Pīshān Islands. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2691; Admiralty P3664.5; NGA 19016.
Qiáncǎoyǔ
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16.5 m (54 ft); white flash every 4 s. 8 m (26 ft) white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on an island at the northwestern end of the Pīshān group, off the southeast coast of the Yùhuán Peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2689.5; Admiralty P3666.45.

Yùhuán City: Yùhuán Peninsula and Island Lighthouses
Báimǎjiāo ("White Horse Reef")
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 6 m (20 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 8 m (26 ft) concrete tower painted black with a red horizontal band. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a reef in the channel between the mainland and Qiáncǎoyǔ. CN-2688.1; Admiralty P3666.4.
Chōngdān Yǔ
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); white flash every 4 s. 12 m (39 ft) round concrete tower with gallery, painted white. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a small island in the entrance to the inner basin of Xuánmén Bay, which has been closed off by a dike and presumably will be reclaimed. Site status unknown. CN-2692; Admiralty P3666.3.
Kǎnméntóu
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 50 m (164 ft); white flash every 4 s. 4 m (13 ft) square stone tower painted white. Ke Fuxin's photo is at right and Google has a satellite view. Located atop a sharp cape on the west side of the entrance to Xuánmén Bay. Site status unknown. CN-2694; Admiralty P3665.5.
Běipánshān
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 62 m (203 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 9 m (30 ft) white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a small island about 10 km (6 mi) east of Dàyántóu, the southern tip of Yùhuán. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2698; Admiralty P3660.8; NGA 19018.
Nánpánshān
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 21.5 m (67 ft); white flash every 5 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. This light marks the beginning of the ship channel intoWēnzhōu Bay. Located on the southwestern tip of an island about 8 km (5 mi) east southeast of Dàyántóu, the southern tip of Yùhuán. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2698.5; Admiralty P3660.75.

Kǎnméntóu Light, Yùhuán, August 2018
Google Maps photo by Ke Fuxin
 
Dàyántóu (Ganlu Zui) (3)
1999 (station established 1955). Active; focal plane 71 m (233 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, covered with white tiles. A photo is at right and Google has a satellite view. The main ship channel entering Wēnzhōu Bay passes between this light and the Héngzhǐshān lighthouse (next entry). Located at the southern tip of Yùhuán. Site status unknown. CN-2700; Admiralty P3660.82.
Héngzhǐshān (2?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 66 m (217 ft); 3 white flashes every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) (?) concrete tower with lantern and gallery. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. The satellite view suggests that the listed lighthouse has been replaced by a larger one. Located at the southwest end of an island marking the entrance to Wēnzhōu Bay. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2701; Admiralty P3661.1.
Jiānzuǐjiāo (Jiānzuǐ Jiāo, Zhihu Jiao, Pipefish Reef) (2)
2002 (station establishment date unknown). Probably inactive; listed by NGA with focal plane 13 m (43 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 11 m (36 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, mounted on a square concrete pier. Lighthouse painted with red and black horizontal bands. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. This light has disappeared from the Admiralty list. Located on a reef off the southwest coast of Yùhuán. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2700.1; ex-Admiralty P3661.2; NGA 19070.
Liányǔ (Lián Yǔ) (2)
2009 (station establishment date unknown). Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 11 m (36 ft) round white concrete tower with gallery. The light is visible in a very distant street view across the bay and Google has a satellite view. Located on a small island at the northwestern corner of Yùhuán. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2712.1; Admiralty P3661.21.
Cǎokǔnyǔ
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 8 m (26 ft) round white concrete tower with gallery. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a small island about 1.6 km (1 mi) northeast of Liányǔ. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2712; Admiralty P3661.22.
Xiǎowūdǎo ("Little Crow Island")
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 24.5 m (80 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower. This light is visible near the left edge of Qiu Dayi's view across the bay and Google has a satellite view. Located on the west end of an island about 5 km (3 mi) north of Liányǔ. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2711.5; Admiralty P3661.24.

Dàyántóu Light, Dòngtóu, October 2013
ex-Panoramio Creative Commons photo by 行摄梓地
Dàwūdǎo ("Big Crow Island")
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 7 m (23 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 7 m (23 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on the west end of an island about 1 km (0.6 mi) northwest of Xiǎowūdǎo. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-2711.7; Admiralty P3661.241.
Zhūniángjiāo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); three green flashes every 10 s. 11 m (36 ft) round concrete tower painted green. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a reef off the west coast of the Yùhuán Peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. CN-2709; Admiralty P3661.275.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

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

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Posted June 9, 2008. Checked and revised March 3, 2025. Lighthouses: 40. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.