Only 1 km south of XiamenUniversity stands the imposing Huli Shan Fortress (Huli shan pao tai). Originally built in 1892 to fend off foreign imperialists, the fortress boasts a huge nineteenth century heavy artillery piece produced by the German conglomerate Krüpp, with a maximum range of 10,000 meters. The canon, placed here in 1892, cost a massive 50,000 silver taels and with a weight of 60 tons and a length of around 45 feet was the biggest coastal gun in China. Considered a serious threat then, the canon still dominated the defenses half a century later when a Japanese warship was gunned down during the anti-Japanese War (1937-1945). Behind the platform are the barracks and the arsenal.

Inside the fortress there is also the RongguangMuseum which houses over 4,000 exhibits, including intriguing rocks with natural paintings on them, ancient swords and guns. Most interesting of all, there is a mini-canon here made by the Portuguese, which is only about 11 cm long

Related tour:

1. Xiamen Gulangyu Island Half-day tour
2. Xiamen City & Gulang Yu Island One Day Tour