Following the Sino-French War in 1885, Yang Changchun, Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang, and Liu Mingchuan, Governor of Taiwan, personally inspected Penghu and proposed a strategic defense plan: "Penghu is an isolated and vulnerable island, serving as the gateway to both Fujian and Taiwan. To ensure its defense, we must construct fortified batteries, acquire advanced artillery and station elite troops." They repeatedly petitioned the Qing court to strengthen Penghu's coastal defenses and recommended the construction of Magong City. The Qing government approved the proposal and appointed Wu Hunglo as Penghu's first commanding general. Upon his arrival, Wu Hunglo was tasked with building Magong City and four modern Armstrong breech-loading artillery forts: Dacheng North Fort, Jinguitou Fort, Xiyu East Fort and Xiyu West Fort. In the 21st year of the Guangxu era of the Qing Dynasty (1895), during the Penghu Campaign of the First Sino-Japanese War, Japanese forces landed at Lizhengjiao in Longmen, Huxi, on the eastern side of Penghu's main island. Advancing westward toward Magong City, they faced little opposition from the Xiyu West Fort, which was too far west to provide effective support.
During World War II, the U.S. military adopted an island-hopping strategy, bypassing Taiwan and Penghu after capturing the Philippines and instead attacking Okinawa, Japan directly. As a result, Penghu's coastal fortifications never saw combat against U.S. warships and remained intact, escaping destruction. On November 23, 1991, Xiyu West Fort was officially designated a National Historic Site by the Ministry of the Interior.
Recommended Duration of Visit: 2 hours

Source: Penghu Travel, National Cultural Heritage Network