U.S. Military Gas Station

Qinglong County is a small, easily overlooked county in southwestern Guizhou Province. During one of my trips through Qinglong, I suddenly noticed a strange landmark on the map: a U.S. Military Gas Station. Of course, those familiar with the history of the War of Resistance against Japan will naturally understand why such a military facility existed in such an inland part of China.

In 1942, the 1880th Engineer Battalion of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was stationed in Qinglong to carry out repairs on the 24 Turns. They set up camp in Shaziling, and soon this small southwestern border town saw the establishment of an Air Force guesthouse, the Pacific Hotel, and even a café — something the locals had never seen before.

The base was surrounded by a high barbed-wire fence. Above the gate, in addition to the American bald eagle emblem, was the faded inscription “US ARMY GAS STATION AT 24TH TURN ON CHINA-BURMA HIGHWAY.” This gas station built by the Americans in Qinglong during the War of Resistance served as one of the crucial supply depots for the Allied forces and made an indelible contribution to the victory of the war. Military vehicles traveling along the Burma Road all stopped here to refuel.