The plateau west of the Taihang Mountains has been fought over for over two thousand years. The battle of Changping (
长平之战, 260 BC) between Qin and Zhao began as a quarrel over Shangdang, and the
上党战役 of 1945 was one of the first battles between the Communists and the Nationalists after Japan surrendered. The city there today is
长治.