Zhenhai Anti-Japanese Fortifications

Zhenhai Anti-Japanese Fortifications

The Zhenhai Anti-Japanese Fortifications are a cultural relic protection unit of Zhenhai District.

Situated around Zhaobao Mountain and Houhaitang in Zhenhai District, these are steel-reinforced concrete military bunkers. There are eight bunkers still in relatively good condition. These military bunkers (commonly referred to as pillboxes) were built in the autumn of 1936 by the Ningbo Defense Command to counter the armed invasion of Japanese imperialism, following the requirements of the "Ningbo Coastal Defense Equipment Implementation Plan" developed by the Nationalist government’s defense ministry.

On April 18, 1941, the Japanese Marine Corps landed forcefully in the Zhuzhulin area of Zhaobao Mountain in Zhenhai as part of their offensive on Ningbo. The defending troops, the First Battalion of the Provisional 34th Division, fought valiantly. The fierce battle lasted through the afternoon, resulting in over a hundred Japanese casualties before they were forced to retreat. The defending forces suffered more than two hundred casualties, including the death of the battalion commander, Qi Weiliang. The next day, the main Japanese force launched a large-scale attack. The Ninth Company of the Third Battalion held their ground stubbornly against the overwhelming enemy, but due to being vastly outnumbered and running out of ammunition and reinforcements, they suffered heavy losses and the Japanese took Zhaobao Mountain, leading to the fall of the county town. The pockmarked bunkers bear witness to the intensity of the resistance and serve as a reminder: in times of peace, do not forget peril. On May 25, 2005, these anti-Japanese fortifications were designated as district-level cultural relics protection units by the Zhenhai District People's Government.