Siping's history can be stretched to 3,000 years ago during the
Shang dynasty. The
Kingdom of Yan Ruins indicate that the
Han Chinese People started moving into Northeast region of China during the
Spring and Autumn period. Ancient ethnic tribes such as the
Fuyu, the
Goguryeo, the
Khitans, the
Jurchen, the
Mongols, the
Manchus, and
Koreans have left behind cultural artifacts, including Hanzhou, Xinzhou, and the Yehe Tribe Cultural Artifacts. Yehe Town in Siping is also the hometown of two empresses of the
Qing dynasty,
Empress Dowager Cixi and
Empress Dowager Longyu. However, Siping was a place of little importance until the completion of the railway between
Changchun and the port of
Dalian in 1902. With a rapidly growing population, Siping became a regional commercial center. After 1907, Siping's economy experienced steady growth under the administration of the
South Manchuria Railway Company. The construction of a railway linked to
Baicheng in northwestern Jilin Province was completed in 1923, while a railway running south to
Tonghua and to
Korean Peninsula was built in 1939. A new town was built after 1921, going by the name Ssupingkai. After 1932, under the
Japanese invasion of Manchuria, some agriculture-based industry including brewing, oil pressing and flour milling grew up. In the latter part of
World War II, the Japanese completed a project in the construction of a refinery for the production of synthetic petroleum from coal. Siping was the site of several major battles during the
Chinese Civil War between the Chinese Communist and Nationalist forces from 1945 to 1949. After the war, Siping was virtually destroyed. •
Battle of Siping, March 15, 1946 − March 17, 1946 •
Campaign to Defend Siping, April 17, 1946 − May 19, 1946 •
Siping Campaign, June 11, 1947 − March 13, 1948 Siping grew rapidly after the Communist government was established in 1949, being the third largest city in Jilin Province. ==Geography and climate==