Characteristics of large batteries in Macao

There is a large clearing on the battery, with green grass; Towering ancient trees, lush growth; Giant steel cannon, stand aside. There are many historical sites and buildings on the stage, such as the ancient pagoda on the fort, which is one of the meeting places for Jesuits. A southern European-style bungalow building built in the center of the clearing is the office of the Meteorological Observatory. There is an ancient clock on the right, which was made by a famous gun casting expert. It was once moved to Portugal and sent back to Australia by the sisters a few years ago. The stone carving on the top of the front door at the entrance of the battery records the battery's achievements in resisting foreign enemies.

The area of the battery is about 10000 square meters, and it is an irregular quadrilateral with sides of about 100 meters, and the four corners protrude to form a redoubt. The walls in the northeast, southwest and southeast of the battery are built on the basis of granite with a width of 3.7 meters. The wall body is made of rammed earth and coated with oyster shell powder, which is very strong. The wall is about 9 meters high and 2.7 meters wide at its narrowest point. The breast wall is about 2 meters high and zigzag, and up to 32 cannons can be erected to prevent attacks from these two directions. There are bunkers at the two corners of the southeast wall. The northwest wall facing Chinese mainland is mainly granite, and the parapet is short, and there is no muzzle setting, which mainly shows its defensive function to overseas and its friendly gesture to China officials at that time.

The main entrance of the fort is located on the southeast wall, and there are some simple rooms behind it, which were used by the military at that time. Now, as a tourist facility, along a short curved ramp, you can reach a spacious platform with batteries. Historically, there were military facilities on the platform and under the platform of the fort, such as the ammunition depot of the West Ribbon Fort (now a small exhibition area) and the water storage tank (now a part of the museum).