Kunlun Guan Battle Relic Site, Binyang, Nanning, Guangxi Province
The Kunlun Guan mountain pass is located almost 60 kilometres north of the city of Nanning. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Imperial Japanese Army captured the pass as a means of cutting off supplies arriving from Vietnam. Fearful of being completely isolated from the rest of the world, the Chinese Amy launched an attack on the Japanese in December 1939. Fierce fighting took place around the pass for some period of time with many soldiers dying on both sides of the struggle, including the Japanese Commander-Major-General Masao Nakamura. The Japanese Army, unable to defeat the Chinese, eventually retreated. After the war had ended, the Chinese Government placed memorial stones at the site to honour the soldiers and civillians who died whilst protecting the Kunlun Guan Pass.
As of today, the Kunlun Guan Battle Relic site is a popular tourist destination, especially for students keen to learn more about the Chinese victory in 1939. A small museum houses a collection of objects found on the battle site, including bowls, knives, guns and a fighter plane, along with a large number of photographs that depict both the Japanese and Chinese Armies. Around the site, visitors can view the restored trenches and bunkers the soldiers fought from and a series of replica buildings, such as the Kunlun Guan Battle Headquarters and observation turrets. Nearby the memorial cemetery and pavilion stand as a memorial to the thousands of men who lost their lives reclaiming the pass.