Lighthouses of China: Guangxi

Guangxi (more properly Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region) is an autonomous province of China, located in the extreme south of the country adjacent to Vietnam. Historically, the region was landlocked, but in 1952 the People's Republic transferred the westernmost coastal portion of Guangdong Province to Guangxi. This decison was reversed in 1955 and then reinstated in 1965.

The coastline of Guangxi extends for about 200 km (125 mi) along the north end of the Gulf of Tonkin. Beihai (formerly Pakhoi) and Qinzhou are the major ports.

Lighthouses in China are maintained by the PRC Maritime Safety Administration. The administration is organized in four regional administrations, with district offices in the major ports. The lights on this page are maintained by the Zhanjiang MSA office in Guangdong, which is included in the Guangzhou Region. The Chinese word for a lighthouse is dēngtǎ (灯塔). Jiao or chiao is a cape, dao, tao, yu, or hsu is an island, wan is a bay, and kang or gang is a harbor. Due to competing systems for transliterating Chinese into Latin characters, there are always several possible spellings for the names of places in China.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. CN numbers are the serial numbers used by the Shanghai regional office of MSA. Admiralty numbers are from volume F of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.

General Sources
Light Query Results
This is part of a long light list for all of China posted by the Shanghai MSA office. Guangxi lights are found beginning on page 161 of the list.
Lighthouse Photos
Photos of ten major lighthouses, posted by the Guangdong regional MSA office.
China AMS Topographic Maps
A fine collection of U.S. Army Map Service maps of China, in English, posted by the University of Texas Library.
 

Weizhoudao Light
Weizhoudao Light, Weizhou
PRC MSA Guangdong Region photo

Beihai Prefecture Lighthouses
* Weizhoudao (Weizhou Dao) (2 or 3)
2005 (?) (station established 1956). Active; focal plane 101 m (331 ft); white flash every 10 s. 24 m (79 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern, gallery, and a large octagonal observation room, rising from a 1-story octagonal base. Lighthouse painted white, lantern red. A photo is above, another closeup is available, a 2008 photo shows the top of the lighthouse, and a photo of the entire tower and a distant view are available. Google has only a distant satellite view of the area. Weizhou is a volcanic island in the Gulf of Tonkin, about 50 km (30 mi) south of Beihai and a similar distance west of the Leizhou Peninsula in Guangdong. The island, then known as Weichow, was occupied by France in the late 1800s and added to French Indonesia. Nationalist Chinese troops recaptured it from the Japanese in July 1945 and held it until Communist troops took the island in early 1950. Weizhou is about 6.5 km (4 mi) in diameter and has a permanent population of about 16,000. It is accessible by passenger ferry from Beihai and is a popular destination for day trips. The lighthouse is located near the southernmost point of the island. Site open, tower status unknown. CN-4878; Admiralty F3326; NGA 20096.
Daniu Shi
2010. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); white flash every 4 s. 14 m (46 ft) round white concrete tower. No photo available, and Google's satellite view does not show the lighthouse. Located on a shoal off Daniu, a new port on Anpu Gang, a shallow embayment at the northeastern corner of the Gulf of Tonkin. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty F3319.96.
Yingpan
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 24 m (79 ft) square skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available. This lighthouse also faces Anpu Gang. Located on a point of land near Bailong, about 30 km (19 mi) east of Beihai. Site status unknown. Admiralty F3319.783.
* Guantouling Nanwan East Breakwater
2008. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); green flash every 4 s. 8 m (26 ft) round concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is green. J.S. Bond has a photo, but the light is too new to appear in Google's satellite view. Guantouling is a town at the end of the Yinhai Peninsula. Located at the end of the east breakwater of Nanwan (South Bay) harbor at Guantouling. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F3320.25.
* Guantouling Nanwan West Breakwater
2008. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); red flash every 4 s. 8 m (26 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower. Lighthouse painted with red and white horizontal bands. A photo is available, but the light is too new to appear in Google's satellite view. Located at the end of the west breakwater of Nanwan (South Bay) harbor at Guantouling. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F3320.26.

Qinzhou Prefecture Lighthouses
Damiaodun
2005. Active; focal plane 39 m (128 ft); white flash every 4 s. 21 m (69 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 1-story equipment building. A distant view and a second view are available, and Google has a very distant satellite view of the location. This new lighthouse marks the eastern entrance to Qinzhou Bay (the northernmost embayment of the Gulf of Tonkin). Located on an island about 2 km (1.25 mi) off the point of land at the east side of the entrance to the bay. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty F3319.78; NGA 20093.5.
Xiaoyashi (Qinzhou Gang) (2)
1997 (station established 1970). Active; focal plane 8 m (26 ft); red flash every 3 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, covered with white ceramic tiles. No photo available. Located on a shoal in the entrance to Qinzhou Bay, about 55 km (35 mi) west northwest of Beihai. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-4925; Admiralty F3319.5; NGA 20093.7.
Duida Tou
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); white flash every 4 s. 34 m (111 ft) square skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available. Located on a point of land at the east side of the entrance to Qinzhou Bay (or possibly on a small island off this point). Site status unknown. Admiralty F3319.8.
Jixinshi
1971 (rebuilt 1997). Active; focal plane 6 m (20 ft); white flash every 3 s. 6 m (20 ft) square pyramidal concrete tower, covered with white ceramic tiles. The tiles were probably added in 1971. No photo available. Located on the west side of Qinzhou Bay about 5.5 km (3.5 mi) northwest of the entrance. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown.
Xiangshuishi (2)
1997 (station established 1969). Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); white flash every 3 s. 9 m (30 ft) square concrete tower, covered with white ceramic tiles. the lighthouse also has a black vertical stripe, perhaps indicating that it is the rear light of a range. A photo is at right. Located in a narrow passage of Qinzhou Bay about 5.5 km (3.5 mi) north northwest of the entrance. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-4935; Admiralty F3319.65.

Fangchenggang Prefecture Lighthouses
Fangchenggang (Fangcheng Gang)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 57 m (187 ft); white flash every 6 s. 30 m (98 ft) steel tower, probably with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a prominent ridge on the east side of the entrance to Fangcheng Bay, about 7 km (4 mi) southwest of Oisha. Site status unknown. Admiralty F3316.2; NGA 20086.
Diaoyutai Dao
1999. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); white flash every 4 s. 10 m (33 ft) round white concrete tower with double gallery. A photo is available. Located on a small island in the entrance to Fangcheng Bay. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty F3316.7.
Bailongwei (Bailong Wei)
Date unknown (station established 1966). Active; focal plane 90 m (296 ft); white flash every 4 s. 20 m (66 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. The lighthouse is white, lantern roof red. A distant view and a second view are available, and Google has a satellite view. The original light had a focal plane height of 79 m (259 ft). Built to mark the border with Vietnam, this lighthouse is located at the end of a sharp promontory overlooking the border. Site status unknown. CN-4971; Admiralty F3316.1; NGA 20095.
Baixugong Jiao (Baisuyan) (2)
1972. Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); white flash every 4 s. 19 m (62 ft) round white concrete tower. No photo available, and the lighthouse is not seen in Google's satellite view. The original light was a 12.5 m (41 ft) square pyramidal concrete tower. Located on a shoal in the Gulf of Tonkin, marking the border with Vietnam about 25 km (15 mi) southeast of the mainland coast. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. CN-4970; Admiralty F3316; NGA 20215.
Xiangshushi Light
Xiangshuishi Light
PRC Maritime Safety Administration photo

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: East: Western Guangdong | South: Northern Vietnam

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Posted December 19, 2008. Checked and revised September 11, 2012. Lighthouses: 14. Site copyright 2012 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.