Taiping Rebellion Army Camp Ruins

Taiping Rebellion Army Camp Ruins

The Taiping Rebellion Army Camp Ruins are a cultural relic protection unit of Nanjing City.

The Taiping Rebellion Army Camp Ruins are located in the northeast of Dongba Town, Gaochun District, dating back to the Qing Dynasty.

Dongba, a historic town in Jiangsu, is one of the more bustling market towns in Gaochun. It got its name during the Ming Dynasty when a stone dam was built on the Xu River. The Xu River, which runs through Dongba, is a major waterway artery connecting Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui, and Dongba was historically known as the “thoroughfare of seven provinces.” During the Taiping Rebellion, Dongba served as the southern gateway to Tianjing (the capital of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom). Senior Taiping generals such as Yang Fuqing and Luo Dagang once garrisoned here. Between 1854 and 1856, in order to defend this strategic location, the Taiping forces built camps to the east, west, and center around Dongba, and also constructed a particularly solid camp behind the dam.

The rear camp was situated on the north bank of the Xu River, covering an area of about 9,500 square meters. Two defense ditches, each approximately 8 meters wide and 3 meters deep, were dug, with an 8-meter-wide earthen wall built between them. The western side of the camp featured two passages, each about 7 meters wide, for entry and exit, while artillery platforms were erected on the east, south, and north sides, making the defenses extremely tight. On September 17, 1856, during the sixth year of the Xianfeng reign of the Qing Dynasty, Qing forces launched a three-pronged attack on Dongba, and the Taiping troops responded in kind. Outnumbered, the Taiping forces lost all their camps, Dongba fell, and the Taiping army retreated to Gaochun.

150 years later, the ruins of the Taiping Rebellion army camps in Dongba are now largely well-preserved, serving as a testament to the military history of the Taiping Rebellion. In March 1993, the Nanjing Municipal People’s Government designated these camp ruins as a municipal-level protected heritage site.

The Taiping Rebellion Army Camp Ruins are a cultural relic protection unit of Nanjing City.

Dongba Subdistrict: Dongba Town in Gaochun County is located at the junction of Jiangsu and Anhui provinces in the southern part of Jiangsu. The town covers a total area of 78.48 square kilometers and has a permanent population of 35,800. It is recognized as one of the “Hundred Famous Towns of Jiangsu,” a Nanjing new-style small town that meets construction standards, a Nanjing civilized and sanitary town, and a key central town in Jiangsu.

Dongba enjoys convenient transportation. It is 50 kilometers from Lukou International Airport, and the Ninggao Expressway passes through the town, making it a key transportation hub connecting northern Nanjing with southern Zhejiang and Anhui. The national fifth-class waterway Wu (Wuhu)–Tai (Taihu Lake) is currently under construction...

More details about Dongba Subdistrict ++