Ruins of the Shuixi Battle at Bainitun

The ruins of the Shuixi Battle at Bainitun

The ruins of the Shuixi Battle at Bainitun

Bainitun is Baixing Town in Nayong, named after the Bai Ni Slope where white clay is found. It covers a total area

96

of square kilometers. Surrounded by water on three sides, the Nayong River flows from Yangchang Town

(

Haiziyangchang

)

through Haizu, Pengjia Ferry, Kamen, and Jiangjiayan before encircling the town and heading southeast to Dazhuanwan – the tripoint of Zhijin, Nayong, and Liuzhi Special District where it merges with Chahe River into the Wujiang River. The surrounding valleys are deep-cut with sheer cliffs, and there are only four access routes. In the past, entry into the town from the east, west, and south required boat crossings, while only a dry land route from the northeast was available. It was one of the eighteen fortified settlements established by Tusi An Kun, including

(

Shuicheng

)

, Malongtun

(

in Liuzhi Special District

)

and others. The fertile lands atop the settlement produced abundant grain, making it a key granary for the Shuixi region in earlier times. Granaries were built in Yina Tianba

(

Baixing Town

)

and managed by the Sha clan, a branch of the Twelve Noble Lineages. Due to its strategic terrain, it has historically been a fiercely contested military stronghold. During the Ming Dynasty, Lady She Xiang of Shunde once sought refuge here during unrest. In the early Qing Dynasty, it was a major battleground of the Shuixi Wars. By the end of the Republican era, reactionary military forces, police, secret agents, and special units gathered here in a failed attempt at last-ditch resistance.