[3][4][5] The Yuwengdao Lighthouse was built by British engineer, David Marr Henderson, in 1875 on the site of the earlier "Xiyu Pagoda Lighthouse" (Chinese: 西嶼塔燈; pinyin: Xīyǔ tǎdēng), which was originally built in 1778 during the Qianlong Emperor reign of Taiwan.

The earlier Xiyu Pagoda Lighthouse structure was a stone tower with an oil lamp light source, and is mentioned on a stone stele that still stands within the grounds of the Yuwengdao Lighthouse.

Originally having black exterior, the Yuwengdao Lighthouse was repainted white in 1915.

[6][7][8] The lighthouse is built of cast iron painted white and stands at a height of 11 meters.

The Yuwengdao Lighthouse was the focus of the short documentary film, The Coastwise Lights of Penghu : The Fisher Island (Yuwengdao) Lighthouse 燈塔記憶 : 澎湖漁翁島燈塔, published in 2017 by the City University of Hong Kong (CityU).