Key Facts
- Region
- Liuwandashan (Sixty-Thousand Great Mountains), Guangxi
- Period
- 1950–1951
- Type of conflict
- Counter-guerrilla / counterinsurgency
- Parent campaign
- Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Guangxi
- Broader context
- Campaign to Suppress Bandits in Central and Southern China
Strategic Narrative Overview
Communist People's Liberation Army units conducted counterinsurgency operations throughout Liuwandashan, targeting Nationalist guerrilla bands that relied on the mountainous terrain for cover and mobility. The campaign involved coordinated sweeps and local pacification efforts. As part of the broader suppression campaign across Guangxi and Central and Southern China, communist forces progressively dismantled the guerrilla networks operating in the region between 1950 and 1951.
01 / The Origins
Following the Nationalist government's retreat from mainland China to Taiwan in 1949, large numbers of Nationalist regular troops and affiliated armed groups remained behind in southern China. In the Liuwandashan region of Guangxi, these remnants reorganized as guerrilla forces, blending with local bandit groups. The newly established People's Republic of China launched systematic operations to eliminate these forces and consolidate communist control over the south.
03 / The Outcome
The campaign concluded with a communist victory, eliminating organized Nationalist guerrilla resistance in the Liuwandashan area. The result consolidated People's Liberation Army control over this part of Guangxi. The operation formed one component of the wider, successful effort to suppress Nationalist remnants across Central and Southern China, completing the military phase of communist consolidation in the region.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent