Atlas of Battles

battle, major, ancient

Battle of Changping

Battle of Changping was a battle fought in April 262 BC at Gaoping, in what is now China; it lasted about 2 years. It was part of history, heritage and archaeology. The recorded result: Qin victory; Qin strategic supremacy consolidated; Severe weakening of Zhao military might; Siege of Handan. Recorded strength: 450,000 against 550,000.

See it on the globe Read the article

Map of Battle of Changping between Qin and Zhao states
Map of Battle of Changping between Qin and Zhao states. SY, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtApril 262 BClasted about 2 years
WhereGaoping, China35.798N, 112.924E
OutcomeQin victory; Qin strategic supremacy consolidated; Severe weakening of Zhao military might; Siege of Handan
BelligerentsState of ZhaoagainstState of Qin
Part ofhistory, heritage and archaeologyWarring States period

Where it sits in history, heritage and archaeology

Battle of Chengpu, 632 BCBattle of Lize, 478 BCBattle of Jinyang, 455 BCBattle of Guiling, 354 BCBattle of Maling, 342 BCBattle of Changping, 262 BC632 BC262 BCBattle of Changping, 262 BC
6 placed engagements of history, heritage and archaeology in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateApril 262 BC (month precision)
to July 260 BC
PlaceGaoping, China
35.798N, 112.924E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength450,000550,000
Commanders
  • Lian Po
  • Zhao Kuo
  • Bai Qi
Battle of ChangpingBattle of ChangpingBattle of HulaoBattle of XingyangBattle of YanshiBattle of BiBattle of HuoyiBattle of HulaoBattle of BiBattle of HuoyiHandanHoumaLuoyangXinxiangAnyangKaifengJiaozuoLinfen100 km35.798N, 112.924E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Changping
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Changping today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-11-21. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 835 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 814 to 1,217 m, 402 m of relief, steep country and today it is 39% built-up, 35% cropland, 12% grassland.

built-up: 39%cropland: 35%grassland: 12%tree cover: 10%bare ground: 4%built-up 39%cropland 35%grassland 12%tree cover 10%bare ground 4%
west to east, 10.0 km832 to 1,194 mnorth to south, 10.0 km829 to 932 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Battle of Changping is one of 193 engagements of the 3rd century BC in the atlas and one of 448 in present-day China.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1195760, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Changping, revision 1384596957, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.