Qilaibi Lighthouse

Name origin

The lighthouse takes its name from Kiray, a former name of Hualien City and a name used in the Hualien area that refers to the Sakiraya people.

History

Japanese rule period

The original lighthouse was built by the Japanese in 1931. The building is 7.6 meters high, concrete and white. The acetylene flashing light once used in this lighthouse utilized pressure-regulated acetylene and a timing device, to flash once at a regular 3-second interval. During World War II, the lighthouse was seriously damaged by Allied bombing.

Present

In 1963, in order to help nearby Hualien Harbor become an international port, a new lighthouse, consisting of a white pentagon concrete building, was built on the original lighthouse base. The newly built Qilaibi Lighthouse used a 4th class white light electric lamp, the light flashing 3 seconds and dimming 3 seconds at a regular 6 second intervals, and the luminous intensity is 28,000 cd. In 1973, a non-directional beacon pole was added, with output power 100 watts and range 100 nms, to function in coordination with the Lyudao Lighthouse, also a non-directional beacon pole, for the ships mutual positioning. In 1985, a radar beacon pole was set. Then finally, in 1992, the communication systems were comprehensively changed into a dual-frequency radar beacon pole.

References

Sources

1. Su-fang Li, "The Lighthouses in Taiwan", Yuan-zu Culture Publ. Inc., Taipei county, Taiwan, 2002, pp. 138–141.
2. Lun-hui Yue, "Ocean Navigator-The Fair of Taiwan Lighthouses", Kaoshiung History Museum, Kaoshiung, 2000, pp. 74–77.
3. Customs, Ministry of Finance of Taiwan, "The Concise History of the Republic of China Customs", Taipei, 1998.

References

1. [http://www.motcmpb.gov.tw/MOTCMPBWeb/wSite/ct?xItem=8117&ctNode=339&mp=2&idPath=324_336_339 Chilai Pi lighthouse] ''Maritime and Port Bureau''. Retrieved April 16, 2016
2. {{Cite rowlett. twn1e