Sites that 'electrified a nation in despair'

Growing number of people visiting battlefields across Shanxi province to pay tribute to Chinese soldiers who fought Japanese invaders

Shanxi, one of the cradles of Chinese civilization with a history of more than 4,000 years, also holds an important position in China's modern history.

During the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), this North China province was an important base for the military forces led by the Communist Party of China and CPC organizations, including the CPC North China Bureau, the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army and its three divisions. It was also home to a number of battlefields where the CPC-led forces won decisive victories.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (and the World Anti-Fascist War).

Ahead of the anniversary, which is scheduled to be celebrated on Sept 3, flocks of tourists have arrived in Shanxi's various Red tourism destinations — sites related to the activities of the CPC and the military — to see how Chinese people won the war through arduous efforts.

The city of Yangquan in eastern Shanxi, for instance, is one such place. Surrounded by the Taihang Mountains and the Taohe River, Yangquan has held a strategically important position throughout the history.

In 1940, the city was the main site where the famous Hundred-Regiment Campaign took place.

In the summer of that year, to smash the Japanese invaders' strategy of "controlling transport lines and breaking through the bases of the Chinese military in North China", the general headquarters of the Eighth Route Army decided to organize large-scale sabotage of the transport lines under enemy control and their fortified positions. About 200,000 soldiers and officers across 105 regiments joined the campaign.

The sabotage operations lasted more than four months, and the Eighth Route Army troops fought 1,824 major and minor engagements, inflicting 20,000 casualties on the Japanese. They also captured about 50 cannons, 5,900 rifles, and other military supplies. The Eighth Route Army itself suffered 17,000 casualties.

The Hundred-Regiment Campaign was the largest and longest strategic offensive launched by the Eighth Route Army in North China since the start of the war of resistance against Japanese aggression.

Today, a memorial hall for the campaign stands on the peak of Shinao Mountain, which was one of the main battlefields of the campaign. After visiting the hall that has many exhibits on display, visitors can go to the surrounding areas to see strongholds and positions that the Chinese army used to fight the Japanese.

Another must-visit site is Pingxingguan, a Great Wall pass in Datong's Lingqiu county. The pass controls a valley called Qiaogou, stretching 4 kilometers in a northeast-southwest direction, with rugged terrain and steep cliffs ranging from 10 to 100 meters deep. The old road running through the valley is only 3 to 5 meters wide, just enough for a single truck to pass. On both sides are sheer rock walls, with relatively gentle slopes above.

The terrain once formed a natural "pocket trap" — perfectly suited for an ambush. This was exactly the case in Sept 25, 1937, when the 115th Division won the first decisive victory for the newly established Eighth Route Army.

When an anniversary of the victory of the war of resistance against Japanese aggression is approaching, the Pingxingguan Victory Memorial Hall, located in Baiyatai township, Lingqiu county, sees a surge in visitors.

Tour guide Yuan Jing noted that since April, there has been a noticeable increase in student groups, and out-of-town visitors.

"Many tourists are interested in the details of the battle," Yuan said, "especially the ambush tactics, the troop strength comparison between the two sides, and key moments like the ambush at Qiaogou.

"People often ask how this battle shattered the myth of Japanese invincibility and what effect it had on national morale during the war," Yuan said. "They also want to know stories about the commanders and the sacrifices of ordinary soldiers."

Among the visitors was 34-year-old Wang Yonggang, a local from Datong. Clearly moved, he shared his thoughts after touring the memorial. "I was especially interested in the captured enemy equipment on display — it shows just how poorly equipped our forces were by comparison, and how difficult this victory really was.

"I had learned about the battle from my father, but seeing the site in person gave me a whole new perspective," Wang added.

"Poorly equipped, thinly clothed, and armed with a limited number of grenades, the soldiers relied on fierce determination to win the victory," Yuan told the visitors. "News of the Pingxingguan Victory electrified a nation in despair."

Another site that has attracted a large number of visitors is Zuoquan county in Jinzhong. This is a place where tourists can see the "iron walls of Taihang".

Extending more than 400 km from north to south and serving as the border between Shanxi and the two neighboring provinces of Henan and Hebei, Taihang is seen by many as a destination that can be visited many times because of its precipitous peaks, steep cliffs, strange rocks, lush forests and clean waters.

Zuoquan county in Shanxi is known for the Taihang valleys, which are also called the "50-km gallery of picturesque landscape" by tourism industry insiders.

One of the most imposing sights in the area are the cliffs rising up from the valleys. The cliffs are often called the "iron walls of Taihang".

The term "iron walls of Taihang" is not only a description of the landscape, but a tribute to the heroes who protected the nation by fighting the Japanese invaders.

During the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, the Taihang Mountains were an important base for the Eighth Route Army.

When the nation and the people were at their most critical moment, the warriors of the army pledged to "build a new Great Wall with their flesh and blood".

General Zuo Quan (1905-42), deputy chief of staff of the Eighth Route Army, honored the promise by sacrificing his life during a battle in the county in 1942.

To pay homage to this hero, local people changed the name of the county to Zuoquan from its original name of Liaoxian in the same year as his death.

"You can understand the true meaning of 'iron walls of Taihang' only after you have toured Zuoquan and learned about the stories of the heroes who contributed their lives to protecting the nation," said Xiang Kaisheng, a tourist from Beijing.

In addition to the popular destinations of Yangquan, Pingxingguan and Zuoquan, there are thousands of Red tourism sites in Shanxi. All tell similar stories of people who devoted their energies and lives to defending and liberating the nation.

These include Wangjiayu village in Wuxiang county, which is the site of the Eighth Route Army headquarters; Huangyadong in Licheng county, which has a huge cave that housed the largest weapons factory of the army; and Caijiaya in Xingxian county, which once served as the capital of the Jinsui Border Region, another important base for the CPC to lead its military forces and the people to fight Japanese aggressors.

When Red tourism became a pillar of Shanxi's tourism industry, local tourism operators started using innovative means — including new operational models and digital technologies — to enhance the tourist experience.

In Wuxiang county, a digital cultural tourism experience hall featuring the history of the Eighth Route Army has been established. Tourists there can interact with artificial intelligence tour guides when they'd like to learn a detailed history of the army.

A novel experience offered by the hall is that tourists can have their photos taken with an Eighth Route Army soldier. This has been made possible by combining the visitor's photos with an AI-restored picture of the soldier taken eight decades ago.

Wuxiang has 13 sessions of the Eighth Route Army cultural festival, which has developed into one of the major Red tourism events in Shanxi. The county has received more than 1 million tourists annually in recent years.

In Zuoquan county, there is an emerging Red tourism destination called Tongyu 1991. The destination gives tourists an experience on how a wartime government and democracy were organized through an immersive live show called Defending Tongyu.

Tongyu used to be one of the hub towns of the Jinjiluyu Border Region, which is governed by the Tripartite System, a democratic system created by the CPC. The system involved the equal participation of CPC members, leftists, and centrists.

In Tongyu 1941, tourist can be a part of the live show, playing roles as participants of elections, or sentries at their posts.

To meet the rising demands of the tourism industry, Shanxi has devoted great effort to improving transport facilities for better access to destinations that include Red tourism sites. The enhanced connectivity has not only brought in more tourists but boosted local economies other than tourism.

In 2018, Shanxi began to build three sightseeing roads to link the three landmark attractions of the Taihang Mountains, the Yellow River, and the Great Wall. Called Taihang No 1, Yellow River No 1, and Great Wall No 1, the three roads and its branches have a total length of about 13,000 km, connecting nearly 1,000 destinations in Shanxi's 11 cities. The three No 1 highways became fully operational in 2024.

Another example is a railway connecting Taiyuan and Caijiaya in Xingxian county.

Located at the heart of the Lyuliang Mountains, the village of Caijiaya was part of the Jinsui Border Region, home to the headquarters of the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army.

Caijiaya's popularity began to increase in the early 2010s with the boom of Red tourism. It made headlines in 2017 when some of the nation's leaders visited the village, hoping it to become one of important national bases for patriotic education.

The opening of a passenger railway route, which links Caijiaya and the provincial capital of Taiyuan, in June 2018 has increased its appeal to tourists.

Before that, it took more than seven hours from Xingxian to Taiyuan by bus. Nowadays, the train trip takes about four hours.

With tourists flocking to Caijiaya village, residents have opportunities to improve their livelihoods with new sources of revenue.

Wen Lijun, head of Caijiaya village, said that more residents are engaged in the booming tourism industry, operating bed-and-breakfast businesses or working with local tourism companies. Meanwhile, others are using the railway to sell their produce, like cereals, fruits and vegetables, to the rest of the province or even the rest of the country.

He said that the per capita disposable income of locals was about 8,000 yuan ($1,115) in 2017. The figure had increased to 12,000 yuan in 2024.

Zhang Qi contributed to this story.