【Introduction】

In 1778 (the 43rd year of Emperor Qianglong, Qing dynasty), Taiwan Prefectural Magistrate Jiang Yuanshu and Penghu Magistrate Xie Weiqi built a “seven-level pagoda” after the old Hsiyu pagoda collapsed. Constructed at the same location, it was complete with incandescent lighting and named the Hsiyu Lighthouse. A Matsu temple was built in front of the lighthouse. The lighthouse and the temple were collectively called the Hsiyu Pagoda Courtyard. They were renamed the Hsiyu Pagoda Temple after another renovation in 1823 (the 3rd year of Emperor Daoguang, Qing dynasty). After the Qing government signed the Convention of Peking and the Treaty of Tientsin, Western ships started entering and exiting Penghu with increasing frequency. However, ships often ran aground and suffered damage as a result of the coastal reefs. In 1874 (the thirteen year of Emperor Tongzhi), military officials and a British engineer David Henderson conducted a geographical survey and decided to demolish the pagoda temple and build a new tower on the old pagoda’s site. Construction was completed in the following year. It was the first Western-style lighthouse in Taiwan and Penghu, and the earliest prefabricated building in Taiwan’s architectural history. The Fisher Island Lighthouse is a hollow cylindrical structure built with cast iron on a granite base. The tower tapers slightly upward. A spiral iron staircase was built inside the tower. On the exterior of the tower is a balcony with a cast iron railing which was used as a work platform. The tower is topped by a domed lantern room and a weather vane. A Class 4 double-wick kerosene lamp with rotating lenses was installed inside the lantern room. Nowadays, it has been replaced with a Class 4 electric lamp with rotating lenses.

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