Relic Site of Navy Drill

The relic site, 15 meters long and wide, is located halfway in the northeast of the Sunlight Rock on Gulangyu Island, Siming District. There stands a colossal rock about 12 meters high, the top of which has been built into a round terrace that is approximately 15 square meters. In the north of the site, there are two well-preserved rock inscriptions, i.e. “闽海雄风” and “郑延平水操台故址”, which means the majesty of the sea off the Fujianese coast and former drilling site of navy commander Zheng Yanping (i.e. Zheng Chenggong), respectively. The former inscription was made by Li Zengwei on the Double Ninth Festival, 1918, a scholar and government official of the Qing Dynasty, and the latter by Huang Zhongxun, a scholarly business tycoon during the era of the Republic of China. It is believed that between the 4th and 17th years of the reign of Qing emperor Shunzhi (1647-1660), Zheng Chenggong turned the Sunlight Rock into a fortified village where he stationed, trained, and commanded his navy soldiers. Given its relation to the Ming general, the site is considered valuable evidence for historians studying this great man.