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After the Sino-French War ended in 1885, the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang, Yang Changjun, and the Taiwan Commissioner Liu Mingchuan personally inspected Penghu and proposed that “this noble office should examine Penghu, an isolated island in danger, as the gateway between Fujian and Taiwan. It must be fortified with strong batteries, equipped with powerful cannons, and staffed with disciplined troops to ensure proper defense.” They repeatedly petitioned for stronger maritime defense in Penghu and suggested building a fortress at Ma‑gong. The Qing court adopted their recommendation and appointed Wu Honglu as the first commander of Penghu. Upon arriving in Penghu, Wu Honglu was ordered to build Ma‑gong City and to construct four new-style Amsinck rear‑mounted gun batteries: the North Battery of the Great City, Jin‑gui‑tou Battery, East Battery of West Island, and West Battery of West Island. In the 21st year of the Guangxu reign (1895), during the Sino‑Japanese conflict over Penghu, the Japanese army landed on the eastern side of Penghu’s main island at Huxi Longmen, and marched west toward Ma‑gong City. The garrison at West Island’s East Battery engaged the Japanese, and records of the clash remain. During the Pacific War, because the U.S. forces employed a leap‑frog island‑hopping strategy, they conquered the Philippines and then bypassed Taiwan and Penghu to attack Okinawa directly. Consequently, the fort batteries on Penghu Island were never subjected to direct naval bombardment by U.S. warships in the Pacific War, allowing the island’s fortifications to survive intact to this day. West Island’s East Battery was designated a national historic monument by the Ministry of the Interior on November 23, 1991 (Republic of China year 80). Source: National Cultural Heritage Network. Suggested stay time: 2 hours.