ABSTRACT
The siege of Peiping began on December 13 and lasted forty days. At the start, there was intense fighting on the perimeter of the city, particularly in the west where the Communists concentrated their initial attack. In a military sense, however, the warfare around Peiping was never completely real. Neither the Nationalists nor the Communists attempted any large-scale attacks once the front lines were drawn. The “battle of Peiping” thereafter consisted simply of local sorties by both sides. The economic blockade of Peiping was never 100 per cent complete even though the city was completely surrounded. The general public in Peiping knew nothing of the progress of the negotiations, or even of their existence, for they were shrouded in complete secrecy. Peiping became the first major city in the Chinese civil war to come under Communist control by peaceful agreement between Communist and Nationalist leaders, rather than by capture or outright military surrender.
