Dagu Fort

The Dagu Kou Forts, also called the Taku Forts in British historical annals, bear witness to Chinese resistance to the increasingly intrusive colonial presence in China during the latter half of the 19th century, and especially during what came to be known as the Second Opium War. These colonial powers occupied several areas of China, for both political as well as economic reasons. 

The Dagu Kou Forts, which guarded the mouth of the Hai River (formerly called the Bai He in Chinese and the Pei Ho in English), the main access route toBeijing for outside forces at the time, saw invasions four times:  in 1858, 1859, 1860, and again in 1900. Many Chinese people regard Dagu Kou Forts as a symbol of Western imperialism, and in the past the site was especially frequented by those who sought inspiration in patriotism and nationalism.