Into Former Battlefields of War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression: At Xifengkou Pass, clash of steel fades, fragrance of chestnuts lingers

“Broadswords — Hack at the enemy soldiers’ heads! Brothers in arms across the land! The day of resistance has come, the day of resistance has come!” The stirring strains of “The Broadsword March” draw us back to the years of the War of Resistance.

Did you know? The lyric “Hack at the enemy soldiers’ heads” was forged in the crucible of the war of resistance!

This wartime anthem, composed by musician Mai Xin in 1937, was created to commemorate the famous Battle of Xifengkou.

In early 1933, after seizing all of Northeast China, the Japanese Kwantung Army pushed south into North China. In February, they launched a massive assault on Rehe Province (consisting of parts of today’s Hebei, Liaoning, and Inner Mongolia). The provincial capital Chengde (in present-day Hebei) fell on March 4. Five days later, on March 9, the Japanese 14th Mixed Brigade attacked the Xifengkou Pass — a strategic gateway on the Great Wall — attempting to breach China’s ancient northern defenses and drive straight into the North China Plain.

Located in today’s Qianxi County, Tangshan City (about 150 km northeast of Beijing), Xifengkou Pass commands the Luanhe River valley between towering mountains. Its perilous terrain has made this stretch of the Great Wall a fiercely contested stronghold since antiquity. Had the pass fallen, enemy troops could have swept unimpeded toward Beijing and Tianjin (“Beiping” and “Tientsin” at the time), threatening the political heart of North China.

The National Revolutionary Army's 29th Corps was urgently dispatched to reinforce the pass. Originally a unit of the Northwestern Army, the 29th Corps was poorly equipped. Yet they faced the elite Japanese Kwantung Army, armed with planes, artillery, and tanks.

Short on bullets, they turned to broadswords! Every soldier of the 29th Corps heading to Xifengkou was issued a specially made, 4-jin (approx. 2kg) broadsword. These imposing weapons, 3 chi (approx. 1 m) long, featured thick spines, razor-sharp blades, non-slip red cloth wrapped around the hilts, and distinctive ring pommels.

To prevail in close-quarters combat, the 29th Corps commissioned martial arts master Ma Fengtu to create the "Eight Moves to Break the Bayonet" (“Po Feng Ba Dao”). This technique, specifically designed to counter Japanese bayonets, comprised eight lethal strikes including "The Head-On Cleave," "The Waist-Level Sweep," and "The Wind-Guided Leaf Scatter". Each move – chopping, hacking, lifting, thrusting – embodied the millennia-old wisdom of Chinese martial arts, each potentially fatal. To fight the Japanese invaders, soldiers trained day and night; swords flashed like snowflakes while battle cries shook the training grounds.

In early March, exploiting their superior firepower, Japanese troops successively breached Chinese defense lines. Outer positions around Xifengkou Pass fell one after another, bringing the battle to a critical juncture.

To blunt the Japanese advance, on the night of March 11, Zhao Dengyu, commander of the 109th Brigade of the 37th Division, organized a dare-to-die corps for a night raid. After rigorous selection, 500 robust soldiers formed the "Broadsword Corps."

These men from the Northwest were all tall and strong and trained in martial arts from childhood. Before departure, each downed a bowl of farewell liquor. Corps Commander Song Zheyuan led the oath: “Better to die a warrior than live a slave of a conquered nation!” With fierce resolve, the heroes smashed their bowls on the ground and plunged into the gathering dusk.

That night, heavy snow fell, north wind howled as the Yishui River froze. The raiders wore their padded coats inside out for camouflage, moved silently with gag bits in their mouths, trod over withered grass, scaled cliffs, and advanced in three columns toward the Japanese camp.

In the predawn hours (3-5 am), the Broadsword Corps silently neared the Japanese camp. Enemy sentries were silently eliminated before they could raise the alarm. At the commander's shout, the Corps stormed the Japanese tents from multiple directions. Caught utterly unprepared, hundreds of enemy soldiers perished by the blade in their sleep.

Startled Japanese soldiers scrambled to fight back, but the confined camp hindered their firearms' advantage. The wilderness echoed with the panicked shouts of enemy soldiers caught in close combat.

Squad Leader Hou Wanshan cut down seven enemy soldiers in a row before his broadsword bent from the force. He died heroically shielding his comrades. As several enemy troops lunged for artillery to unleash suppressing fire , Platoon Leader Li Huaifu rushed forward, broadsword flashing, and struck down multiple gunners before falling in blood. Soldier Cao Jianzhang had just slain one enemy when another came at him with a bayonet thrust. Cao parried with the flat of his blade, countered with a diagonal swing, then lunged and drove his sword forward with a twist. A scream—then the enemy dropped to the ground...

By dawn, enemy reinforcements swarmed in from all sides. The triumphant heroes withdrew from the battle.

Afterwards, the 29th Corps Broadsword Corps launched several more night raids, forcing Japanese troops to retreat over 10 kilometers.

The Battle of Xifengkou Pass inflicted significant losses on the Japanese forces, delayed their control of the Great Wall, and marked the first major victory for the Chinese military against Japan since the September 18 Incident!

The news electrified the nation. Tianjin's Yishi Bao (L’Osservatore Romano-style Catholic paper) devoted extensive coverage, praising: "Our heroes at Xifengkou Pass, barefoot and bareheaded, wielding medieval broadswords... recaptured mountains and ridges... Is this tale not more awe-inspiring, more heroic, more glorious, more magnificent than the story of (the French defense of) Verdun!"

The night raids at Xifengkou Pass sent shivers down enemy spines; they dubbed the Chinese forces "Ghosts of the Broadsword Corps." Legend has it that afterwards, enemy soldiers wore iron neck collars to bed, fearing decapitation. Japanese media lamented the battle as a "complete loss of the Imperial Army's honor" and "the greatest disgrace in the 60 years since the Meiji Restoration."

More than 90 years have passed. In early spring, our reporters arrived at Xifengkou Pass. The site of the former enemy encampment is now the Panjiakou Reservoir. Vast blue waters stretch before us; wild ducks and gulls returning south play joyfully on the surface. In the distance, the winding ancient wall clings tightly to the mountain ridges, seeming to recount those soul-stirring, heroic deeds.

In spring, Xifengkou, ablaze with mountain flowers, is a magnet for tourists. Many visitors make their way to the Great Wall War of Resistance Museum and the Xifengkou Broadsword Park by the reservoir to revisit that period of history.

Whenever he encounters visitors, the bearded Zhang Guohua always strikes up a conversation.

This 71-year-old man grew up here. Strolling along the park's mountain trails, he shared his passion for the broadswords with our reporters: "When I was in primary school, my teacher told me 'The Broadsword March' was written about the Battle of Xifengkou Pass right here. I was incredibly excited and often ran over to look. Even then, I thought about building a museum, building a memorial park. Future generations need a place to honor the heroes and rekindle their spirit!"

Decades later, Zhang Guohua's dream came true. The museum and park he initiated have become a National Model Base for Patriotic Education, housing thousands of wartime artifacts he collected.

With support from governments at all levels, the park now features the Xifengkou Great Wall War of Resistance Monument, the "Spirit of the Broadsword" sculpture, the "Iron Bastion" memorial sculpture, the "Bloody Battle on the Great Wall" relief, and the War of Resistance Martyrs' Memorial Wall. Many visitors said that these profoundly moving stories will forever be etched in their hearts.

Standing on the Xifengkou ridge, gazing into the distance, one sees peak after peak embraced by chestnut trees pushing forth new buds. Zhang Guohua told our reporters, "Wait until June, it's truly beautiful then! Pale yellow chestnut blossoms cover the mountains and fields, incredibly fragrant. But," he added, "I hope you'll come back in autumn, when tens of thousands of chestnut trees hang heavy with fruit, and visitors from all over the country flock to the orchards. Qianxi chestnuts are famous nationwide, you know!"

By Guangming Daily reporter Shang Wenchao, Geng Jiankuo, Chen Yuanqiu (Guangming Daily Page 01, April 11, 2025)

Translated by Zhang Andi