【Introduction】
Fisher Island West Battery, originally known as the West Artillery Fort of Hsiyu, is located in Wai-an Village of Hsiyu Township in front of Xibitou Mountain. In the 35th year of the Yongli Emperor, Ming Dynasty (1681), Lieutenant Liu Guoxuan of Zheng Jing’s (Koxinga’s son) troops built two artillery forts in Wai-an (old name Waiqian) to prevent Shi Lang’s (a general of the Qing imperial court) troops from invading the place. These were the first artillery forts built in Waiqian. The forts were renovated in the 56th year of Emperor Kangxi, Qing Dynasty (1717). In the 9th year of Emperor Quangxu, Qing Dynasty (1883), Magistrate Li Jiantang annexed both Neiqian and Waiqian artillery forts. During the Sino-French War, the forts were occupied by French Admiral Amédée Courbet and renamed as Baya Fort.
After the Sino-French War, Liu Mingchuan was sent as governor to handle the aftermath of the war, as well as artillery procurements and the construction of forts in Taiwan and Penghu. In the 13th Year of Emperor Guangxu (1887), he appointed Wu Hongluo as a garrison commander to rebuild artillery forts, including those in Hsiyu. The Fisher Island West Battery was one of the four major artillery forts built in Penghu in the late Qing Dynasty. The fort was armed with three Armstrong breech-loading cannons: one 6-inch caliber, another 7-inch caliber, and the other 8-inch caliber, and was regarded as having the most intensive firepower amongst all forts in Penghu in the late Qing Dynasty.
The fort was built in a rectangular format, surrounded by inner and outer walls. Two layers of arched entrances were built in the middle with the inscription “Hsiyu West Fort.” In addition to the artillery positions, the fort also contained facilities such as an office building, barracks, a small ammunitions depot, and the main ammunitions depot. Thirteen rooms, including private rooms, offices, and a kitchen were built at both sides of the office building, but none of these remain today.