The Site of Pingying Regiment of
Sanyuanli is in an ancient temple north of Sanyuanli Village in Guangzhou City
of Guangdong Province.
After the Opium War broke out in June
1840, the British invaders continuously launched campaigns against Southeast
China's coastal areas. In May 1841, the British army approached Guangzhou City, and
seized hold of the emplacement in the north of the city. They often came out to
disturb the people, irritating the masses in Guangzhou. On the morning of May
29, the British army plundered in Sanyuanli. The entire village quickly gathered
on the level ground in front of the ancient temple. They resolved to fight
against them. Afterwards, they allied with the crowd in No. 103 Township, and
fought together with them under the banner of the Pingying Regiment. First, they
allured the enemy to Niulangang, where nearly 10,000 people hid. They took the
advantage of foothill and assaulted the enemy quickly. They annihilated over 200
enemies. The surrounded enemy fled helter-skelter to the emplacement when the
reinforcing army arrived. The mass troop chased after them, and besieged the
emplacement. The British army was forced back to the sea. The Battle of
Resistance Against the British Army in Sanyuanli was the first victory of
spontaneous fight of the Chinese people. It demonstrated the valor of the
Chinese people in the fight against the imperialism and feudalism, and ushered
in the democratic revolution.
After 1949, the government built the Site of
Pingying Regiment in the ancient temple of Sanyuanli into a base for the
patriotic education. The Sanyuan Temple, the source and headquarters for the
battle, had been rebuilt to a memorial where the historical data of the battle
was displayed.