Battle of Hengyang Memorial

The Liufangyuan memorial park marks the Battle of Hengyang, one of the most significant engagements in China's Second World War. Between 23 June and 8 August 1944, General Fang Xianjue's garrison — massively outnumbered and eventually running out of ammunition and food — held the city for 47 days while an expected relief force never arrived. The human cost was devastating on both sides: Japanese casualties exceeded the total number of Chinese defenders.

The memorial complex contains stone monuments, carved reliefs depicting scenes from the battle, and plaques naming the units that participated in the defence. For most Western visitors, this battle is completely unknown despite its scale and duration. Coming here is a reminder of how much of the Second World War's Eastern theatre remains absent from the Western historical imagination. The park itself is well maintained and worth an hour even for those without strong military history interests.

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A story
In the summer of 1944, some 17,000 Chinese troops under General Fang Xianjue held Hengyang against a Japanese force of over 100,000 for 47 days — the longest sustained Chinese defence of a single city in the entire war. When the garrison finally surrendered, Japanese casualties had reached an estimated 19,000. General Fang was criticised at the time for surrendering; he was later rehabilitated and the defence is now commemorated as one of the most heroic stands in modern Chinese military history.