Beacon tower, also known as beacon tower, is commonly known as beacon tower, smoke pier and pier. The high platform used to light fireworks and deliver important news in ancient times is an important military defense facility in ancient times, which was built to prevent the enemy from invading. In case of enemy situation, give cigarettes during the day, light them at night, and receive messages from the platform.
"bonfire", two signals of ancient frontier defense alarm, is called "embarrassment" when smoking during the day and "bonfire" when lighting a fire at night. In Han Dynasty, beacon towers were called beacon towers and pavilions. In Tang and Song Dynasties, the word "beacon tower" was also extended to beacon towers. In the Ming dynasty, it was generally called a smoke pier or pier (the pier in the northwest of the Ming dynasty had the function of defending the enemy, and the small one only had the function of watching the enemy, not lighting a bonfire).
The distance between beacon towers is generally about ten miles, and they are usually built on hills and mounds that are convenient for eye contact. There was also a distance of about 5 miles in the Ming Dynasty. When soldiers guarding Taiwan discovered the enemy's attack, they immediately lit a bonfire on the stage, and the neighboring Taiwan also lit it after seeing it, so as to quickly convey the enemy's situation to the military central department.
Main functions of beacon tower
Beacon towers are mainly used to facilitate investigation. At the same time, when the enemy invades, combustible substances such as straw can be burned to inform the enemy of the situation with fireworks, thus making the next post vigilant.
The most important thing is to transmit military information, which needs to be closely coordinated with the Great Wall buildings such as enemy platforms and wall platforms. The enemy platform can be used as a dock for transmitting beacon information. Where there are no enemy stations and no wall stations suitable for beacons, beacon towers must be built according to the beacon transmission route.
After strict training, the defenders responsible for transmitting beacons can accurately transmit military information through beacon fire, and the speed is very fast, and it can generally spread throughout the entire defense line of Yuji Town in three hours.
Most of the surrounding areas can be observed from the beacon tower. If an enemy invades, it will burn combustible substances such as straw, and inform the enemy with fireworks, so that the next sentry post will be vigilant and complement the Great Wall buildings such as enemy platforms and wall platforms.
Beacon towers usually light wolf dung during the day and burn firewood at night, because if wolf dung is burned during the day, there will be thick black fog, which looks more obvious, while burning firewood at night and giving an alarm by fire will be more conspicuous. Beacon is the oldest but effective way of information transmission in China.
Refer to the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia-Beacon Tower