Ji Xingwen

Ji Xingwen
吉星文
Born 1908
Fugou, Henan, Qing dynasty
Died 24 August 1958
Kinmen, Fujian, Republic of China
Allegiance  Republic of China
Service/branch Republic of China Army
Rank Lieutenant General
Unit 110th Brigade, 37th Division, 29th Route Army
Commands held 219th Regiment
Battles/wars

Ji Xingwen (Chinese: 吉星文; pinyin: Jí Xīngwén), courtesy name Shaowu (Chinese: 紹武; pinyin: Shàowǔ), was a general for the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China. He served in the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War.

Early life and career

Ji was born in Fugou County, Henan Province, with his ancestral home was in Hancheng, Shaanxi. He was educated at the Republic of China Military Academy, including Advanced Studies.

Second Sino-Japanese War

Ji was made famous across China for his presence at the Marco Polo Bridge Incident and the battles which followed in the vicinity immediately thereafter.[1] As a Colonel, Ji was the Regimental commander of the 219th Regiment, 110th Brigade, 37th Division, 29th Route Army. [2] Ji received a telephone message from the commander of a Japanese force in the area regarding a missing Japanese soldier after their exercise was finished. The Japanese commander claimed that his soldier, Private Kikujiro Shimura was missing and that they suspected the soldier had been abducted by the Chinese. In fact, he had gotten lost while relieving himself on his way back from the exercise and found his way back to his unit hours later. Further, the Japanese commander demanded permission to enter Wanping to investigate. Colonel Ji refused the search demand. It has been noted that the Japanese Army had fabricated several similar incidents before in order to encroach on Chinese territory, with suspicions running high. With the Japanese demand unfulfilled, at about 5:30 am on July 8, the Japanese began shelling the bridge and Wanping, and an assault on the Chinese position around Wanping was launched.

When the Japanese attacked the bridge from the rear, Ji led the Chinese defenses with about 100 men and was ordered to hold the bridge at all costs. By the afternoon, the Japanese had managed to occupy only the southern end of the bridge. Chinese reinforcements arrived, and on the morning of July 9th, the Chinese retook the bridge under cover of mist and rain.[3]

Chinese Civil War & Death

On August 23rd, 1958 he was mortally wounded during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis bombardment of Jinmen by Chinese communist forces.

Legacy

There are memorials to Ji in the war museums of Taipei and Beijing. His son, Ji Mingli, has made appearances to commemorate his father and memorialize the wars he fought in.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "A Day That Pains People Even 70 Years Later". China Daily (in English and Chinese (Translated)). Xinhua. 9 July 2007. p. 5. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  2. ↑ Davis, Justin; Wang Xiaohua (12 July 2018). "Lugou Bridge and Wanping Fortress". PressReader (in English and Chinese (translated)). Beijing, China: Beijing Magazine. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  3. ↑ Du, Jiaxin (29 December 2016). "The Fall of Beijing, 1937". Warfare History Network. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
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