【Introduction】
During the Opium War in 1840, the chief of the Taiwanese Military Defense Affairs, Yao Ying constructed a gun emplacement on the coast of Ershawan in Keelung. However, it was destroyed by a French battleship due to its short-range. In 1884 (the 10th Year of Guangxu Reign) Keelung was lost to France. After the Sino-French War, the first military governor of Taiwan province, Liu Ming-chuan, decided to improve the arsenals. He bought new breech loaders from England, and hired German engineers to supervise the construction of the new cannons. Finally, in 1886, all artillery pieces were completed and the fort was relocated uphill and served as a secret hideout.
Ershawan Fort covers an extensive area and still presently retains remnants of old gates, gun platforms, bunkers, arsenals, wells, and barracks. With its highly strategic and rugged terrain, the Ershanwan Fort, together with Shiqiuling, Sheliao and Baimiwong Forts form a protective net over the Keelung Harbor. The fort is divided into the barracks area and the gun emplacement area, which is in turn divided into the east and north divisions. Above the entrance gate built with stone blocks, there is a tablet inscribed with four Chinese characters “Haimen Tiansian”, namely, a very dangerous yet natural bulwark at the seaside to safeguard the coast.