福興外埔飛行場

Waipu Airfield

March 12th, 2015

Last updated July 13th, 2025

The former Waipu Airfield (外埔飛行場) is located in Fuxing, Changhua, on the southeastern side of historic Lukang. It was constructed in March 1943, part of a wave of airfield construction that coincided with the intensifying war effort. In the post-war period it was almost entirely dismantled and returned to farmland but several traces remain scattered across the plains.

Waipu Aerodrome Gun Tower No. 1 (外埔飛行場防空砲台一號) — An old World War 2 gun tower in the rice paddies of Changhua.

US military maps identified this airfield as Rokkō Airfield, after the Japanese name for nearby Lukang, but the official name was probably Shōka Airfield (彰化飛行場). Local residents refer to it simply as Waipu Airfield after the name of a nearby village, which is how its modern name is derived. Some sources also gave it the provisional name Lukang Southeast Airfield (鹿港東南飛行場), but this has no basis in history. It is worth noting that there was another training airfield immediately to the west of Lukang, likely the actual site of Rokkō Airfield.

The most prominent relics of this old airbase are a pair of specialized gun towers (防空降塔) originally located on either side of the main runway. They were built toward the end of the war to defend against allied bombing runs and paratrooper landings. The ruins of an old command and communications facility as well as another structure that might have been a bomb shelter can also be found in the vicinity.

A Detailed Look at Waipu Aerodrome Gun Tower No. 1 (外埔飛行場防空砲台一號) — A closer look at the old machine gun fort.

Fanpo Village (番婆村) is home to the more widely-known of the remaining gun towers, which is sometimes referred to as Gǔpàotái (古砲台). It was located on the northwest side of the former runway. Although registered as a historic building in 2004 very little had been done to preserve or explain its function when I visited in 2015.

Waipu Aerodrome Gun Tower No. 2 (外埔飛行場防空砲台二號) — The second gun tower is right next to a small factory. It is easily missed when driving along the nearby road.

A second gun tower is located next to a small factory in Waipu Village (外埔村) proper, originally on the southeast side of the airfield. It is shorter than the other tower and built with a slightly different design, more squat and close to the ground. As with the other gun tower it would have been mounted with anti-aircraft defenses on top and the body of the structure would have stored ammunition.

A Detailed Look at Waipu Aerodrome Gun Tower No. 2 (外埔飛行場防空砲台二號) — Parts of the steel substructure can be seen on the seaward side of the gun tower.

Apart from the relics remaining around the airbase the nearby Rixin Elementary School (日新國民小學) also features some murals related to the history of the area.