Cihou Fort is located on the south side of Takao harbor and completed in 1876, with the inscription “Southern Might" over its main gate. The fort was built on Cihou Mountain’s flat terrain, with a roughly rectangular structure that divides into barracks to the north, a central command observation office, and an ammunition depot to the south, with four muzzle-loading 7-inch Armstrong guns in place. The Western architectural design incorporates Han building vocabularies, such as an eight-character screen wall in the entrance hall, stenciled bricks, as well as the platform’s paved patterns, introducing peace and tranquility into the fort’s solemn atmosphere. The Fort became one of Takao’s eight scenic spots in the Japanese era and an important tourist attraction, with the sight of the autumn moon rising over the fort. Now declared a national heritage site, Chihou Fort stands as a monument to Takao’s turbulent history.
旗津／旗后礮台
臺灣在牡丹社事件後，清國政府逐步在基隆、淡水、安平、打狗等四個重要港口設置新式礟臺，打狗港南側的旗後礟臺於1876年完工，額題「威振天南」，建在旗後山上地形平緩處，格局大致呈現矩形平面，分為北側的兵房、中央的指揮觀測處、南側的彈藥庫三區，安置四門七吋阿姆斯壯式前膛砲。採西式設計的礟臺，卻融入了許多漢文化建築的語彙，入口營門的八字影壁與囍字磚砌，以及平台踏道的鋪面紋樣，在礟臺的肅殺氣氛中帶來些許祥和感受，在臺灣的礟臺建築中更是獨樹一格。
乙未之役中重要歷史場景的旗後礟臺，在日本時代名列打狗八景之一的「戍樓秋月」，成為重要的遊覽勝地，1930年代更被指定成為高雄州的史蹟，受到〈史蹟名勝天然紀念物保存法〉的保護。戰後，由於國軍在旗後山上建有碉堡，故礟臺區亦長期處於軍事管制的狀態，逐漸荒廢破敗，終在指定為古蹟後修復並開放，至今仍見證著打狗港昔日的煙硝風雲。
文／陳坤毅
圖／高雄市政府文化局