Address: Huancun Lu, Ranzhuang village, Qingyuan district, Baoding, Hebei province Admission: Free Opening hours: From 9 am to 4:30 pm Tel: +86 (0312)8036158
The tunnel at the Ranzhuang Village Tunnel Warfare Site in Hebei province [Photo/VCG]
The Ranzhuang Village Tunnel Warfare Site in Hebei province is an important wartime relic from the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) in North China under the leadership of the Communist Party of China during World War II.
With itstheir advantageous geographical location and convenient transportation, the tunnels were first dug in 1938, expanded in 1943, and were basically completed in the winter of 1944. The entire protected area of the site covers 300,000 square meters, with the core protection zone spanning 260,000 square meters.
Following the July 7th Incident of 1937, the people of Ranzhuang village began digging underground tunnels in the spring of 1938 to protect themselves against foreign invasion. What started as single-entry hideouts gradually evolved into interconnected tunnels with multiple access points, eventually developing into approximately 16- kilometers of tunnel network.
The entire village was equipped with ingeniously designed tunnel entrances and numerous combat fortifications, creating a three-dimensional crossfire network. This underground Great Wall provided both defensive concealment and offensive flexibility, allowing fighters to advance, retreat, attack or hold positions as needed.
During both the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation (1946-49), Ranzhuang militias leveraged this tunnel advantage to conduct 157 coordinated operations with armed working teams and field armies against enemy forces, eliminating over 2,100 enemy combatants. Their exceptional performance earned Ranzhuang the distinguished title of "Model Village of Tunnel Warfare".
The memorial museum offers you three primary exhibits: The Central Hebei Ranzhuang Tunnel Warfare Exhibition Hall, the original tunnel system with its underground combat facilities, and the protected above-ground site area. The Ranzhuang Village Tunnel Warfare Site stands as a historical testament to the Chinese nation's resistance against foreign invasion, the triumph of people's warfare, and the indomitable spirit of the Chinese people in their heroic struggle.
