Shinao Mountain Park

Shinao Mountain Park

Highlights: In 1997, the Hundred Regiments Offensive Memorial (Museum) was named by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee as one of the first batch of “100 Patriotic Education Demonstration Bases” nationwide. Here, spring brings blooming mountain flowers; summer offers cool breezes; autumn paints the hills in red foliage; and winter decks the landscape in silvery white. It is also the only scenic spot offering a panoramic view of the entire city. Introduction: Shinao Mountain Park is located on the main peak of Shinao Mountain, southwest of Yangquan city center, about 10 kilometers from downtown, covering an area of 1,984 mu with an elevation of 1,160 meters. It is the highest peak in Yangquan and was once one of the most renowned main battlefields of the historically significant Hundred Regiments Offensive. The park features architectural complexes such as the Hundred Regiments Offensive Memorial, the “Great Wall,” a bell tower, and mushroom-shaped pavilions. The memorial faces south and is built from low to high, consisting of a main monument, three auxiliary monuments, a large-scale group sculpture, two inscribed tablets, a beacon tower, and the “Great Wall.” The entire complex covers an area of 25 mu. At the highest point is a large triangular platform, at the center of which stands a marble main monument, with an auxiliary monument at each corner of the triangle. The main monument, the three auxiliary monuments, and the two inscribed tablets together form a giant arrow pointing directly toward the Shijiazhuang-Taiyuan Railway, symbolizing how the Hundred Regiments Offensive began with the sabotage of the Zhengtai (Shijiazhuang-Taiyuan) Railway. The main monument is 40 meters high, shaped like a sharp bayonet, symbolizing that the Hundred Regiments Offensive took place in 1940 and representing the revolutionary spirit of the Chinese nation—fearless, indomitable, and resolute in resisting foreign aggression. The three auxiliary monuments resemble military flags, symbolizing the three major forces involved in the battle: the 129th Division, the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army, and the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military District. The distance of 105 meters between the three auxiliary monuments signifies the 105 regiments that participated in the campaign. The three auxiliary monuments are inlaid with six large forged copper reliefs vividly depicting scenes from the Hundred Regiments Offensive, including “advancing,” “sabotaging railways,” “assaulting fortifications,” “supporting the front,” “withdrawing,” and “victory.” Descending from the triangular platform, the space between the first inscribed tablet and the main monument is divided into three sections, symbolizing the three phases of the Hundred Regiments Offensive. Further down, four beacon towers are set along the east and west sides, connected by a 227-meter-long winding “Great Wall,” symbolizing the invincible steel wall of the people’s army under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.

Yangquan City, Shanxi Province