Laoye Mountain Revolutionary Battle Site

Laoye Mountain Revolutionary Battle Site

Laoye Mountain Revolutionary Battle Site is a Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit and a classic red tourism destination.

Laoye Mountain Revolutionary Battle Site

Laoye Mountain Revolutionary Battle Site (First Batch Provincial-Level Protected Site)

Era: 1945

Location: Laoye Mountain, Shanglian Township, Tunliu County

In 1945, the main battlefield of the world-renowned "Shangdang Campaign" was located here. Over 22,000 enemy reinforcement troops were killed or captured. It played a decisive role in the final victory of the Shangdang Campaign, thereby ushering in the prelude to the Liberation War.

Originally, there were eight temples on the mountain dating from the Tang to the Qing dynasties, with 137 rooms in total, all destroyed in the war. Now, apart from some remaining foundations (with broken walls repurposed for other uses), only one Lotus Sarira Pagoda remains, riddled with bullet holes, serving as an important symbol of the "Shangdang Campaign."

A key cultural relic protection unit of Shanxi Province. Laoye Mountain is renowned both in China and abroad as the main battlefield of the Shangdang Campaign. The indomitable struggle and heroic deeds carried out here hold a significant place in the history of the Chinese revolution.

Laoye Mountain, originally named Sānshǒujiù (三首旧), is located about 15 kilometers southwest of Tunliu County and falls under the jurisdiction of Shanglian Township. It lies between 36.27 degrees north latitude and 113.46 degrees east longitude, bordered by the Bajin Railway and Jintai Highway to the east, providing direct access to Taiyuan; overlooking the ancient town of Yuwu to the south, a key hub of the "Three Shanxi Roads"; neighboring Xiangyuan County to the north, where the sounds of chickens and dogs can be heard; and nestled against towering mountains to the west, making it a truly auspicious site. The mountain features three peaks standing like tripods: one called Línshān (麒麟山, Qilin Mountain), one Língshān (灵山, Spirit Mountain), and one Xúlíngshān (徐陵山). Since several peaks standing together are called "sānshǒu," and these three peaks are particularly majestic, it earned the name Sānshǒujiù. As locals commonly refer to all deities as "lǎoye" (老爷, lord or sir), and the mountain hosts many temples, it is also commonly known as "Laoye Mountain." Its main peak lies to the east — Línshān. The Sānshǒu Temple (also called East Mountain Temple) is situated atop it, at an elevation of 1,266 meters, the highest among the surrounding ridges. Hence, Laoye Mountain is also called Línshān.

During the Anti-Japanese War, the Eighth Route Army, county brigades, guerrilla forces, and local militias, under the leadership of Communist Party members, used Laoye Mountain as a base to engage in a long and unyielding heroic struggle against the invaders. After Japan’s surrender, it once again became the main battlefield of the Shangdang Campaign. In mid-to-late September 1945, after Liu Bocheng, Commander of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military District, and his political commissar led troops to liberate the five counties of Xiangyuan, Tunliu, Lucheng, Huguan, and Zhangzi, they intercepted over 22,000 reinforcement troops for the Shangdang Campaign — comprising three armies and eight divisions led by Peng Yubin, Commander of Yan Xishan’s Seventh Army Group, and Hu Sanyu, Artillery Commander — at Laoye Mountain in early October. After three days and four nights of fierce battle, all enemy forces were annihilated or captured. This played a decisive role in securing the final victory of the Shangdang Campaign and stands as a shining example of our forces defeating a better-equipped enemy with inferior gear, as well as achieving a complete victory against a numerically superior foe.

To this day, only the Lotus Sarira Pagoda remains, its bullet scars still clearly visible. The pagoda is 13 meters tall with a square, nine-tiered dense-eave structure. To commemorate the revolutionary martyrs, the Laoye Mountain Battlefield site was designated as a provincial cultural relics protection unit in 1964. To honor their valor, a memorial pavilion and a monument were erected in 1986. The inscription on the monument details the battle, the heroic deeds of the revolutionaries, and their arduous journey.

In ancient times, Laoye Mountain was the setting of legendary myths. The Huainanzi records: "Emperor Yao ordered Yi to shoot down nine suns from Sānshǒujiù." Due to the many heroic tales associated with Sānshǒujiù, it earned reverence during the Tang Dynasty, leading to the veneration of the Divine Archer God and the construction of the Sānshǒu Temple. Later, emperors bestowed titles and funded temple constructions.

In the past, people believed Sānshǒujiù was a sacred site that could bring rain and blessings. According to historical texts, every year during the first month of spring, officials and commoners from nearby counties such as Pingshun, Licheng, Huguan, Zhangzi, and Lucheng would gather here to pray for rain. The mountain deity was said to respond promptly, fulfilling their wishes. Thus, it became a famed sacred site. However, during wartime, many structures were lost. By 1965, only two stone inscriptions remained. On May 24 of that year, the Shanxi Provincial People’s Government designated it as one of the first batch of key provincial cultural relics protection sites.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units