Peking Marco Polo Bridge Incident non-aggression pact with China materiel co-operation with Germany Taiyuan Kuomintang Army around Xinkou Communist forces in Pingxingguan Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek best army defend Shanghai capturing the capital Nanking murdered by the Japanese Kuomintang Germany Shanghai Japan
In July 1937, Japan captured the former Chinese imperial capital of Peking after instigating the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, which culminated in the Japanese campaign to invade all of China. The Soviets quickly signed a non-aggression pact with China to lend materiel support, effectively ending China's prior co-operation with Germany. From September to November, the Japanese attacked Taiyuan, engaged the Kuomintang Army around Xinkou, and fought Communist forces in Pingxingguan. Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek deployed his best army to defend Shanghai, but after three months of fighting, Shanghai fell. The Japanese continued to push the Chinese forces back, capturing the capital Nanking in December 1937. After the fall of Nanking, tens or hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians and disarmed combatants were murdered by the Japanese.
