The ruins of Tingsi Bridge Battle in the
Northern Expedition are located over the Sishui River in the west of Tingsiqiao County, southwest of Xianning City, Hubei Province.
Tingsi Bridge is a stone bridge whose construction
began in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). To the east, the towering
mountains overlap each other; to the west, the area is filled with beautiful
lakes. Since the area is considered very dangerous geographically, from ancient
times it has been a place of strategic importance. In 1926, the Northern
Expedition Army pressed into Hubei Province from
Hunan Province rapidly. Depending on the natural
barrier of Tingsi Bridge, warlords fought to the death, vainly
attempting to prevent the Northern Expedition Army from pushing forward. On
August 27, Ye Ting, a communist, led the advance party -- the independent
regiment of the Fourth Army of the National Revolutionary Army, whose backbone
was made up of communists and League Members -- to occupy Tingsi Bridge. The battle is one of the most
important battles of the Northern Expedition since it played a decisive role in
paving the way for the Northern Expedition Army to take over Wuhan City, Hubei Province. As a result, the independent
regiment was honored with the title "Iron Army".
On the hummock near the ruins there remains
the defense system -- the blockhouses, fortifications, etc. -- built at that time.
A cemetery for the officers and men killed in action, a monument and a
memorial pavilion were also erected in honor of the martyrs. The monument is
shaped like a square cone bearing 17 Chinese characters on the front that mean
"monument for the officers and men of the Fourth Army of the National
Revolutionary Army killed in action during the Northern Expedition". The
memorial pavilion is of a hexagonal shape with a
dome.