Pingxingguan Victory Memorial Hall

Pingxingguan Victory Memorial Hall

The Pingxingguan Victory Memorial Hall is located on a terraced slope about one kilometer south of Qiaogou, facing west. It is a two-story building with a floor area of 825 square meters, and its name was inscribed by the late General Yang Chengwu.

In 1986, on August 10, Marshal Nie Rongzhen composed a poem in commemoration of the Pingxingguan Victory. The following day, he wrote to the Shanxi Provincial Party Committee and the provincial government, pointing out that “the Pingxingguan Victory is of great significance, and restoring the memorial hall is necessary.” In 2007, the site was expanded and renovated, and the reopened scenic area, covering a total of 8.5 square kilometers, was relaunched on September 27, 2009. The overall plan is divided into three major axes—War Axis, Memorial Axis, and Beacon Tower Virtual Axis—comprising 14 scenic spots and 5 functional service areas.

Some of the precious photos, historical documents, and cultural relics displayed in the main exhibition hall and the panoramic painting hall of the expanded Pingxingguan Victory Memorial Hall were exhibited to the public for the first time. The panoramic painting hall uses modern technology and artistic methods to recreate the battle scenes of the Pingxingguan Victory.

The Pingxingguan Battle Site is located 30 kilometers southwest of Lingqiu County, Shanxi Province, and was among the first group of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level, as announced by the State Council in 1961. After the “Marco Polo Bridge Incident,” the Japanese invaders launched a full-scale invasion of China, aiming to occupy the country within three months. On September 25, 1937, the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army, advancing into North China, set an ambush on the eastern side of Pingxingguan in Lingqiu County. They annihilated over 1,000 elite troops of the Japanese Army’s 5th Division, capturing a large amount of weapons, ammunition, and supplies. This marked the first major victory of the Eighth Route Army in the War of Resistance Against Japan, shattering the myth of the Japanese army’s “invincibility,” greatly boosting the morale of the Chinese military and civilians in their fight against the invasion, and enhancing the prestige of the Communist Party and the Eighth Route Army.

Major Attractions

The Pingxingguan Victory Memorial Hall consists of a lobby, three independent thematic exhibition halls, a physical relics exhibition room, a panoramic painting hall, and a Hall of Glorious Generals. The second floor houses a Memorial Hall.

The panoramic painting hall is a key component of the Pingxingguan Victory Memorial Hall, covering an area of approximately 450 square meters. It features a semi-panoramic oil painting, ground modeling, six computers, and six projectors. Through modern technologies and artistic methods such as sound, light, and electricity, it recreates the entire battle process of the Pingxingguan Victory.

Precious Collections

Blanket Used by General Yang Yong – This military blanket was a trophy seized by the Eighth Route Army during the Pingxingguan battle. After the victory, Yang Yong, deputy commander of the 686th Regiment, was allotted one piece and kept it as a memento of the Eighth Route Army’s first major triumph.

Briefcase of Zhang Wensong – On September 23, 1937, Zhang Wensong, political instructor of the 1st Battalion of the Independent Regiment of the 115th Division, temporarily left his briefcase with the mother of Meng Dehai, a local villager from Xiadai South Village, who was the landlord. After Zhang Wensong died a heroic death in battle, the briefcase remained in the Meng family’s possession.

Captured Japanese Type 92 Infantry Gun – One Japanese Type 92 infantry gun was captured during the Pingxingguan battle on September 25, 1937, and it has been on display at the Pingxingguan Victory Memorial Hall since its inauguration on September 25, 1970.

Address: 1 li southeast of Qiaogou, Baiyatai Township, Lingqiu County, Shanxi Province