Built in 1930s, this four-squared watchtower is the only building combining European and Oriental cultural styles in Guangzhou and is also the only watchtower with a suspension bridge in China. Besides that, it is also the strongest and most peculiar among the watchtowers discovered to date.

** Miracles of the four-storied watchtower

Extra buildings have been added to the four-storeyed tower above the second floor. However, the combination of the two upper bullet holes on the extra buildings and a lower one makes it resemble a human face if at looked from a distance. As explained by the locals, the face is constituted by two scattergun holes on the fourth floor and a cannon hole on third floor.

The blue-brick tower, with water on either side, was constructed with its foundation in an annular pool with a depth of 5 meters and a width of 4 meters. The tower is 21 meters high and 5.2 meters wide. In the west, an iron suspension bridge spans the pool, providing the only way to reach the watchtower. Round holes appear on every floor of the tower, they were used for communication between people on different floors as well as for commanding battles.

On the second floor, holes of different sizes and shapes can be seen. Among them, there are three observation windows, seven scattergun holes and one cannon hole. On the iron door by the northern observation window are three distinct bullet holes left, each measuring 10 millimeters in depth. These bullet holes are said to have been left by the Japanese army who tried to launch an offensive against the watchtower but failed in the end.

Page:

1

2

3

4

5

6