Page 82 - An Overview of Penghu

A panoramic view of the Mass Grave of Thousand
The cemetery for deceased soldiers
of the mixed army brigade
The cemetery was marked by a towering pyramid stele
about 1,636 m from the Chaoyang Gate (East Gate) of Magong
Town. In March 1895, a mixed brigade led by General Hishijima
invaded Penghu. The invasion cost 1,248 lives, including 972
soldiers who died of illness, 126 soldiers from the artillery
battalion, and 150 soldiers of the 1st squadron, 17th wing of the
Taiwan Defense Brigade.

The deceased were buried on June 25, 1895, in seven
tombs according to the group they belonged to. Two hundred
and four soldiers were placed in the first tomb, 78 in the second,
220 in the third, 68 in the fourth, 181 in the fifth, 181 in the
sixth, and 40 in the seventh. A total of 972 people were buried. A
headstone inscribed with “The cemetery for deceased soldiers
of the mixed army brigade” was also set up at the cemetery,
commonly referred to as the Mass Grave of Thousand.

The Cheering Well
The well sits on the side of the old training
ground in the Magong Castle. When Hishijima's
mixed brigade invaded Penghu in March 1895,
his soldiers became severely ill due to the
scorching weather and lack of clean water. The
Cheering Well, with cool and refreshing water
constantly springing out from inside, became the
Japanese troops' source of water and helped to
boost their morale. To commemorate the well,
they named it the Banzai Well (literally “the
Cheering Well”). They even erected a stele at the
well and wrote poems to praise it.

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