The Battle of Xinkou Site, Shanxi province

Address: Xinkou village, Xinfu district, Xinzhou city, Shanxi province
Opening hours: 9 am to 5 pm
Admission: 50 yuan($6.93)/person

Located in Xinzhou, Shanxi province, the Battle of Xinkou Site — a cluster of 47 weathered caves carved out of cliffs in 1935 — bears silent witness to a 23-day battle in 1937 that became an important chapter in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45). Kuomintang and Communist Party of China soldiers fought here together, effectively blocking Japan's southward advance, causing the invading army to suffer heavy losses.

In early October 1937, Japanese forces swept southward from Daixian county in Xinzhou, attacking Yuanping and Xinkou with the aim of pushing straight toward Taiyuan. What followed was the largest defensive battle led by the Chinese army on the North China battlefield during the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

The Battle of Xinkou lasted from Oct 11 to Nov 2, 1937. Repeated enemy assaults were repelled, thwarting its aggressive attempts to break through. Whether on the front or in guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines, everyone, from high-ranking officers to ordinary soldiers, fought with unrelenting courage to defend the country, and for national independence and liberation.

Today, the 47 caves — 15 in Hongya Bay and 32 in Hougou — have been restored, their original roles as command centers, field hospitals and stables for cavalry etched into local memory.