The ruins of Tingsi Bridge Battle in the Northern Expedition are located over theSishuiRiverin the west ofTingsiqiaoCounty, southwest ofXianning City,HubeiProvince.
TingsiBridgeis a stone bridge whose construction began in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). To the east, the towering mountains overlap each other; to the west, the area is filled with beautiful lakes. Since the area is considered very dangerous geographically, from ancient times it has been a place of strategic importance. In 1926, the Northern Expedition Army pressed intoHubeiProvincefromHunanProvincerapidly. Depending on the natural barrier ofTingsiBridge, warlords fought to the death, vainly attempting to prevent the Northern Expedition Army from pushing forward. On August 27, Ye Ting, a communist, led the advance party -- the independent regiment of the Fourth Army of the National Revolutionary Army, whose backbone was made up of communists and League Members -- to occupy TingsiBridge. The battle is one of the most important battles of the Northern Expedition since it played a decisive role in paving the way for the Northern Expedition Army to take overWuhan City,HubeiProvince. As a result, the independent regiment was honored with the title "Iron Army".
On the hummock near the ruins there remains the defense system -- the blockhouses, fortifications, etc. -- built at that time. A cemetery for the officers and men killed in action, a monument and a memorial pavilion were also erected in honor of the martyrs. The monument is shaped like a square cone bearing 17 Chinese characters on the front that mean "monument for the officers and men of the Fourth Army of the National Revolutionary Army killed in action during the Northern Expedition". The memorial pavilion is of a hexagonal shape with a dome.
Email to Friends
Print
Save