Ranzhuang Tunnel Warfare Site: A key relic from the War of Resistance

The Ranzhuang Tunnel Warfare Site in Hebei Province is an important wartime landmark from the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, which was led by the Communist Party of China during World War II in northern China. The site was also the filming location for the classic war movie "Tunnel Warfare."

Following the July 7 Incident of 1937, the people of Ranzhuang began digging tunnels in the spring of 1938 to protect themselves and resist Japanese aggression. They started with single-opening tunnels and gradually developed them into double and multi-opening tunnels. They developed a 16-kilometer network of tunnels that eventually formed an "underground Great Wall," which could be used for fighting, hiding, attacking, defending, and advancing or retreating freely.

The tunnels originated from the ingenuity of the Chinese people during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. In central Hebei, people dug "toad squats" (shallow hiding pits), cellars, and sweet potato cellars to evade enemy pursuit. When the enemy arrived, people would hide in these structures. However, the biggest problem was that they could not fight from them and, once discovered, could not escape. Therefore, toad squats gradually evolved into tunnels with two openings, which allowed people to hide and escape, but not fight.

Later, under the guidance of the Eighth Route Army led by the Communist Party of China the tunnels were developed into a combination of above-ground and underground fortifications. The tunnel entrances to the former could be covered to attack the enemy. The underground fortifications were expanded with properly partitioned tunnels that were waterproof, gas-proof, and fireproof. These tunnels were designed to enable people to both conceal themselves and attack the enemy.

Tunnel warfare evolved into an interconnected network of tunnels that linked households and villages. By then, the tunnels had been expanded from individual family shelters into a vast underground system. The role of tunnel warfare also evolved beyond defense to include the ability to attack. They could be used to gradually surround enemy strongholds, hinder the enemy, disperse their troops, and prepare for a final counterattack.