Battle Site of the Qutang’ao Ambush

Battle Site of the Qutang’ao Ambush

The battle site of the Qutang’ao Ambush is a classic red tourism attraction.

The battle site of the Qutang’ao Ambush is located at Qutang’ao in Yuanshan Town, Lianping County, specifically at the 17-kilometer mark along Provincial Highway Guandeng Line from Lianping to Beitou. The road from the hilltop to the mountain foot stretches 3 kilometers, featuring a steep, winding path known as the “Nine Twists and Thirteen Turns,” with sheer cliffs on both sides.

In March 1946, Wu Qiang, commander of the Beijiang Detachment, led over 300 troops from the eastern part of Yingde County to Liangba in the border area of Xinfeng County. At that time, due to pressure from the Kuomintang army, the Beijiang Detachment faced severe shortages—lacking food, clothing, and medical supplies, life was extremely harsh. To quickly alleviate their dire situation, the detachment headquarters decided that Zheng Weiling, commander of the main battalion of the Beijiang Detachment, and Zheng Dadong, commander of the Xinfeng Guerrilla Battalion, would lead over 70 soldiers from the Zhong Chenghui Squadron on a surprise mission beyond their lines. They were to advance to Longjie on the border of Xinfeng and Lianping, approach the Shaoguan-Xingning highway, and seek opportunities to ambush the enemy in order to secure urgent supplies for the troops.

One day in late March, after arriving at Xidong Xiatang, Zheng Weiling and Zheng Dadong gathered intelligence near the Shaoguan-Xingning highway: about four military vehicles, carrying roughly a company of enemy troops stationed in Longxian Town, Wengyuan, were scheduled to pass through Lianping en route to Xingning the next day. With this information, Zheng Weiling and Zheng Dadong immediately convened a meeting of officers at the platoon level or above and decided to set up an ambush at Qutang’ao. At 2 a.m. on the day of the battle, Zheng Dadong led his troops into Qutang’ao and took positions in the bushes along the hillside beside the highway, also setting up a lookout post at the mountaintop. Around 3 p.m., the four enemy vehicles approached from afar. When the cars reached the midpoint of the hill at Qutang’ao, Zhong Chenghui, who had been pretending to rest by the roadside, suddenly stood up and shouted, “Charge!” Platoon Leader Zheng Guoqiang loudly bluffed, “First Company, left flank—Second Company, right flank—Main Company, charge the vehicles!” The sudden assault threw the enemy soldiers in the vehicles into chaos. Our troops hiding on the mountainside charged down like tigers, leaping onto the vehicles and aiming their guns at the enemy. Terrified, the KMT soldiers raised their hands in surrender and gave up their weapons without resistance. A total of over 80 enemy troops were captured, along with 73 rifles, more than 5,000 bullets, 20 bolts of cotton cloth, over 30 watches, five radios, four loads of other supplies, over 6 million yuan in cash, as well as gold and silver dollars. These spoils greatly replenished the supplies of the Beijiang Detachment.

In May 2011, a monument was erected here for protection by the Lianping County Party Committee and County Government.

Yuanshan Town: Located in the central part of the county, Yuanshan Town borders Zhongxin to the east, Xishan to the south, Beitou to the west, and Shangping to the north. Covering an area of approximately 320 square kilometers with a population of about 65,000, it features higher terrain in the north and lower in the south, a mild climate, abundant rainfall, and rich forest, mineral, and hydropower resources. The town administers 16 village committees and five urban communities and serves as the political, economic, cultural, and educational center of the county. Established in the seventh year of the Chongzhen reign during the Ming Dynasty (1634), it has long been the site of the prefectural and county governments. The first prefect, Mou Yingshou, also known as Zi Xian or Yuan Shan, implemented policies such as clearing land for farming, establishing schools and military posts, surveying land and setting taxes… More details about Yuanshan Town++