Dongyong Lighthouse

A historic lighthouse standing on the eastern tip of Dongyin in Lienchiang County, better known as the Matsu Islands. It was lit in 1904 under the supervision of the Qing Imperial Maritime Customs Service to guide shipping around the newly opened treaty port of Sandu’ao (三都澳) after the 1901 wreck of the British steamer SS Sobraon. Designed by chief engineer John Reginald Harding in late Victorian English style, it was the first lighthouse on the Chinese coast equipped with an incandescent gas mantle burner. The 14.2 meter tower is colloquially known as Dongyin Villa (東引別墅) for its picturesque hillside setting. It remained out of service for military reasons between 1958 and 1989 but has since been designated as a national monument and neatly restored. It is open to the public free of charge.