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\tAbout 1 km south of Xiamen University stands the imposing Huli Mountain Cannon Platform<\/strong>(\u80e1\u91cc\u5c71\u70ae\u53f0Húl\u012dsh\u0101n pàotái). Originally built in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) to fend off foreign imperialists, the platform boasts a huge nineteenth century heavy cannoneer piece produced by the German conglomerate Krupp, with a maximum range of 10,000 meters.<\/p>\n \tThe cannon, placed here in 1891, cost a massive 50,000 silver taels and with a weight of 60 tons and a length of around 45 feet was the biggest coastal gun in China. Considered a serious threat then, the cannon still dominated the defenses half a century later when a Japanese warship was gunned down during the anti-Japanese War (1937-1945). Behind the platform are the barracks and the arsenal.<\/p>\n \tIn 1997, the Rongguang Museum (Rongguang bowuguan) was established on the platform, most of whose exhibits were donated by a Singapore collector. Currently the museum houses over 4,000 exhibits, including intriguing rocks with natural paintings on them, ancient swords and guns. Most interesting of all, there is a mini-cannon(about only 11 cm long) here made by the Portuguese.<\/p>\n