Jiāngyīn

Jiangyin stands on the southern bank of the lower Yangtze, where the great river narrows before reaching the sea. Its harbour at Huangtian connected the county town to the river, while roads led inland toward Suzhou and the wealthy cities of Jiangnan. This position made Jiangyin a gateway for armies as well as a place of trade.

In 1645, after Qing forces occupied Nanjing, an order requiring men to shave their foreheads provoked resistance in Jiangyin. Townspeople chose Chen Mingyu and then the former county official Yan Yingyuan to lead the defence. Volunteers from the surrounding countryside joined them, bringing arms and provisions into the city. Qing forces besieged Jiangyin and eventually broke through its walls with artillery. Yan was killed and the victors massacred the inhabitants, leaving a bitter memory of the conquest of Jiangnan.