Before the Opium War, many foreign ships used to anchor in the waters of Jinxingmen, Qi’ao Island. In October 1833, a serious conflict broke out between foreign opium crew members and the villagers of Qi’ao Village. Foreign opium dealers organized more than ten armed sampans and fired guns and cannons at Qi’ao Village. The villagers of Qi’ao fought back bravely and repelled their attacks. This was a relatively large-scale and early struggle of the Chinese people’s spontaneous resistance against foreign colonist aggression on the eve of the Opium War. It was 8 years earlier than the anti-British struggle in Sanyuanli, Guangzhou, and occupied an important position in the history of modern Sino-foreign relations. Till now, the village still preserves the Tianhou Temple and the battery, which were the command posts for resisting the invaders back then.
In 1833, the people of Qi’ao Island defeated the invading colonial aggressors with dauntless spirit, forcing them to surrender and compensate 3,000 taels of silver. In order to let future generations always remember this glorious history of the Chinese people’s victory in resisting foreign aggression and inspire them to love the motherland more, the local villagers paved a 2-kilometer-long granite ‘Baishi Street’ with the compensation money. At present, it is well-preserved on the island. The specific business hours are subject to the opening situation on the day.Baishi Street
Before the Opium War, many foreign ships used to anchor in the waters of Jinxingmen, Qi’ao Isl[...]
