Xiyu Pagoda Lighthouse Adventure [tactile braille book]

China has a long history of maritime civilisation. Yet, in part due to rapid technological advances, this glorious period has largely faded from the collective memory. Many people think of lighthouses as modern, western-style lighthouses, however, lesser known are China’s granite “pagoda lighthouses”. In 1868, the Imperial Chinese Maritime Customs found that the only native lighthouse which still functioned for night navigation was the Xiyu Pagoda Lighthouse, located on Fisher Island between Xiamen and Taiwan. Eight years later in 1874, this pagoda lighthouse was replaced by the western-style Fisher Island Lighthouse, and was subsequently demolished. The appearance of the Xiyu Pagoda Lighthouse had been long forgotten until an old photograph of the Xiyu Pagoda Lighthouse was discovered by the Lighthouse Heritage Research Connections (LHRC) project of the City University of Hong Kong. Using this photograph, along with historical documents and artefacts, the LHRC project team created a virtual reconstruction of the long forgotten pagoda lighthouse. This tactile and braille book is a journey back in time through the historical context of this native Xiyu Pagoda Lighthouse.