Battle of Palikao

Battle context

The Battle of Palikao, fought at the bridge of Baliqiao on the morning of 21 September 1860, was the decisive engagement that opened Beijing to Anglo-French forces during the Second Opium War. A combined Western force of approximately 10,000 confronted a Qing army of some 50,000 under Sengge Rinchen, inflicting around 1,200 casualties. The Qing defeat broke the last significant military barrier between the Anglo-French expedition and the Chinese capital. By clearing the route to Beijing, the battle enabled Western forces to take the city and ultimately compel the defeat of the Qing Empire, bringing the Second Opium War to its conclusion on terms dictated by Britain and France.