Beiding Island

24°25′55″N 118°31′1″E / 24.43194°N 118.51694°E / 24.43194; 118.51694

Beiding Island
Native name:
北碇島 / 北椗島
Interactive map of Beiding Island
Geography
LocationJinhu Township, Kinmen County, Fujian, Republic of China (Taiwan)
Area0.0800 km2 (0.0309 sq mi)[1][2]
Administration
ProvinceFujian
CountyKinmen
Urban TownshipJinhu
Additional information
Time zone
Beiding Island
Location of Beiding Island

Beiding Island[3][4] (Dodd Island,[5][6][7] Pei-ting Tao,[8] Beiding Dao[9]) (北碇島, pinyin: Běidìng Dǎo) is an island located east of Greater Kinmen in Jinhu Township, Kinmen County, Fujian Province, Republic of China (Taiwan).[10]

History

The lighthouse on Beiding Island was designed and constructed by British engineer David Marr Henderson. Plans for its construction were proposed in 1875 (the first year of the Guangxu reign). Four years later, lighting equipment was ordered from European manufacturers. Construction commenced in 1882 (the eighth year of the Guangxu reign), and the light was first lit on October 18, 1883 (September 18, 9th year of the Guangxu reign). Historically, Beidingshan Lighthouse appeared under various aliases in multiple English documents, underscoring its pivotal role in international shipping.

The Beidingshan Lighthouse and its ancillary facilities include offices, dormitories, a granite water reservoir, flagpoles, and other structures. A fog cannon was originally installed but has since been removed. All buildings are situated atop the southern peak of the island, occupying an irregularly shaped base that nearly covers the entire island.

The Beidingshan Island Lighthouse is a circular brick structure with white-painted exterior walls. Three granite frames are embedded at the tower's center to reinforce structural integrity, and the tower body is clad in white granite. It is the only lighthouse utilizing granite frames. The tower stands 17.5 meters tall, with the light source positioned at 36.3 meters. The original lighting apparatus employed a first-class reflector lamp with a six-wick kerosene burner. In 1913, it was replaced with a kerosene vapor lamp manufactured by Chance Brothers and Co. Ltd. of Britain, fitted with an 85-millimeter white incandescent lampshade—the company's finest patented product. The equipment underwent three subsequent upgrades. and a post-war upgrade to the current electric lighting system, achieving a nominal range of 11.3 nautical miles.

During World War II, the tower structure and lantern room atop Beidingshan Lighthouse were destroyed by Allied bomber attacks. Subsequently, the lantern was temporarily mounted on a simple triangular iron frame to maintain operation. The bombed-off roof section was rebuilt into a memorial pedestal and installed at the base.

From the 1920s to the 1930s, Beidingshan Lighthouse served as a training site for foreign lighthouse keepers. However, as Chinese personnel gradually filled the keeper positions, the training program was discontinued.

On September 8, 1978, a butchers group from Jinhu visited Dongding Island and Beiding Island to bring gifts to the soldiers there. They wished the soldiers a happy upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival.[11]

On March 31, 2018, the Chinese freight ship YUAN TAI（遠泰）789 struck rocks in the waters near Beiding Island. Nine crew members escaped without injury.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ 行政面積. 金門縣政府民政處 Civil Affairs Department, Kinmen County Government (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 29 January 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019. 外圍 島嶼 面積單位： (平方公里）{...} 北碇 0.0800
  2. ^ 金門縣統計月報 中華民國一Ο六年十二月份 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 金門縣政府主計處. pp. 5, 6. Retrieved 10 August 2019. 極 東 北 碇 東 經 118 31 1 北 緯 24 25 55{...}區 域 別 面 積 ( 平方公里 ) 佔 總 面 積 百 分 比(%){...} 外 圍 島 嶼 北 碇 0.0800 0.04
  3. ^ "Special Edition for the Celebration of the 2 Anniversary" (PDF). Maritime and Port Bureau, MOTC. pp. 77, 79. Beiding Island
  4. ^ "Geographic environment". Kinmen National Park. Archived from the original on 28 October 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2019. The 12 islands and islets comprising {...} Beiding, {...}
  5. ^ Index to Map of China (2 ed.). Shanghai: Far Eastern Geographical Establishment. 1915. p. 13. Dodd Island ... ... 大凸島 ... ... Fukien ... 24.27N 118.31E
  6. ^ Edward Stanford (1908). Atlas of the Chinese Empire (1 ed.). p. 24. Dodd I.
  7. ^ Captain Charles J. Bullock (1884). The China Sea Directory. Vol. 3 (2 ed.). London: Hydrographic Office, Admiralty. p. 210.
  8. ^ "China: Offshore islands. 10-58". Library of Congress. 1958. Pei-ting Tao
  9. ^ Beiding Dao (Approved - N) at GEOnet Names Server, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
  10. ^ 金門縣土地段名代碼表 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Department of Land Administration. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2019. 地政事務所名稱(代碼) 金門(WA) 鄉鎮市區名稱(代碼) 金湖鎮(01){...}段 小段 代碼 備註{...}北碇 0258
  11. ^ 五十七年~六十七年. 金門縣金湖鎮公所 Jinhu Township Administration, Kinmen County (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 28 July 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2019. 【民國六十二年】{...}九 月 八 日 金湖屠宰小組於中秋節前夕，前往東碇、北碇兩離島敬軍勞軍，提前向國軍弟兄賀節。
  12. ^ 吳正庭 (31 March 2018). 中國貨輪又在金門北碇擱淺 9船員自行脫困 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Liberty Times. Retrieved 10 August 2019. 金門北碇海域今天發生中國籍貨輪「YUAN TAI（遠泰）789」觸礁擱淺， 船頭沒入大海，情況一度危急，初判船上9名船員已經其它船隻救離，未傳出人員傷亡；{...}金門北碇島海域有一區域布有暗礁，船隻若不熟悉地形，經過時險象環生。


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