Pingxingguan Battle Site

Pingxingguan Battle Site

The Pingxingguan Battle Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit, a classic red tourism destination, and a patriotic education base.

Pingxingguan Battle Site (First Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units)

Era: 1937

Location: Border area between Fanshi and Lingqiu counties

Pingxingguan, anciently known as Pingxingzhai, was a strategic pass of the Inner Great Wall during the Ming Dynasty. It connects to the northern extension of the Hengshan Mountain range to the north, borders the Wutai Mountains to the south, links to western Hebei to the east, and reaches the Yanmen Pass to the west. Owing to its treacherous terrain, it has long been a contested military stronghold.

The Pingxingguan Battle Site is situated in the Xiaozhai area of Lingqiu County, Shanxi Province—specifically around Laoyemiao Ridge and Guangou—about 5 kilometers northeast of Pingxingguan. It consists of a narrow ancient pathway. The gully stretches approximately 7 kilometers in length, with cliff walls several zhang high on both sides.

After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, following their occupation of Beiping and Tianjin, Japanese invading forces advanced toward the Pingxingguan–Yanmen Pass line in Shanxi in an attempt to seize Taiyuan. On the night of September 24, 1937, Lin Biao, commander of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army, and Nie Rongzhen, deputy division commander, led three regiments to ambush along both sides of the cliff tops of the ancient pathway in the narrow valley northeast of Pingxingguan under rainy conditions. At dawn on September 25, the main force of over a thousand troops from the 21st Brigade of Japan’s Itagaki 5th Division, along with supply vehicles, entered the ambush zone. The 115th Division launched a fierce attack, seized advantageous terrain, encircled and divided the Japanese forces, and after intense fighting that lasted until nightfall, annihilated over 1,000 enemy soldiers, destroyed more than 80 vehicles, and captured a large quantity of weapons, ammunition, and military supplies. The Eighth Route Army’s first major battle at Pingxingguan successfully checked the aggressive advance of the overconfident Japanese army and significantly boosted the morale of the Chinese people in the War of Resistance.

The site preserves revolutionary relics and commemorative structures such as the 115th Division Command Post (Guandi Temple), two cave dwellings that served as residences for Lin Biao and Nie Rongzhen, and the command center of the Pingxingguan Battle. In 1969, the Pingxingguan Battle Memorial Hall was established here.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units