128th Armed Police Mobile Division
A former People's Armed Police mobile division whose institutional lineage extended from a 1938 Eighth Route Army unit through the People's Liberation Army to its 2017 merger into the 1st Mobile Contingent.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The 128th Armed Police Mobile Division was a Chinese military and paramilitary formation rather than a commercial brand. Its lineage was traced to the 3rd Detachment of the Shandong People's Anti-Japanese Guerilla Force, established in June 1938 within the Eighth Route Army. The formation was reorganized several times during and after the Chinese Civil War and was formally established as the 128th Division in November 1948 under a Central Military Commission redesignation program. It initially served as part of the People's Liberation Army's 43rd Corps and consisted of the 382nd, 383rd, and 384th Regiments. The division took part in the Hainan Island Campaign in April 1950. Following that operation, it remained stationed on Hainan Island. During the 1950s and 1960s, its structure and reporting relationships changed repeatedly. Artillery and tank self-propelled artillery units were added in 1953, and the formation was redesignated the 128th Army Division in 1960. After the 43rd Corps was disbanded in 1961, it came under the Hainan Military District. It later moved to Huiyang in Guangdong, transferred to the 42nd Army Corps, and then moved to Liuzhou and subsequently Gong County while the 43rd Army Corps was reactivated and reorganized. In February and March 1979, the division participated in the Sino-Vietnamese War as part of the 43rd Army Corps. Its principal reported engagement was the Battle of Cao Bằng. The formation returned to its barracks in April 1979. In 1985, following another major PLA reorganization and the disbandment of the 43rd Army Corps, it became the 128th Infantry Division and transferred to the 20th Army. It was maintained as a Category B northern infantry division, with three infantry regiments and an artillery regiment. A major institutional change occurred in 1996, when the division was transferred from the PLA to the People's Armed Police and redesignated the 128th Armed Police Division. It received Unit 8680 as its unit designation and was headquartered in Gongyi, Zhengzhou. Its subordinate structure included the 382nd, 383rd, and 384th Armed Police Regiments, along with the 708th Armed Police Regiment. The units were distributed across locations in Henan, including Yanshi, Ruzhou, Mengjin, and Dengfeng. In its final period, the formation performed both security and emergency-response duties. It was deployed during relief operations following the 1998 China floods. In 2010, it was used in security-related support for Expo 2010 and the 2010 Asian Games. The division ceased to exist as a separate formation in the 2017 People's Armed Police reorganization, when it was merged into the 1st Mobile Contingent. Because it was a state military and paramilitary formation, concepts such as products, commercial positioning, sales, and listed status are not applicable.
History
The institutional lineage of the 128th Armed Police Mobile Division reached back to the 3rd Detachment of the Shandong People's Anti-Japanese Guerilla Force, an Eighth Route Army formation activated in June 1938. During the late Chinese Civil War period, the lineage passed through the 17th Division of the 6th Column of the Northeastern Field Army. Under a Central Military Commission regulation issued on November 1, 1948, the formation was redesignated as the 128th Division in November of that year. The division was assigned to the People's Liberation Army's 43rd Corps and was organized around the 382nd, 383rd, and 384th Regiments. In April 1950, it participated in the Hainan Island Campaign. After the operation, the division garrisoned on Hainan Island. Its organization expanded in January 1953 with the activation and attachment of the 508th Artillery Regiment and the 333rd Tank Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment. In April 1960, the formation became the 128th Army Division. Following the disbandment of the 43rd Corps in January 1961, it was placed under the Hainan Military District. It exchanged tank-artillery units with the 127th Army Division in October 1961. In November 1964, the division moved to Huiyang in Guangdong and was attached to the 42nd Army Corps; its tank self-propelled artillery regiment was then left on Hainan Island. When the 43rd Army Corps was reactivated in July 1968, the division moved to Liuzhou in Guangxi and rejoined that corps. In October of the same year, it moved with the corps to Gong County in Henan. The 508th Artillery Regiment was redesignated as the Artillery Regiment of the 128th Army Division in June 1969. The division entered combat during the Sino-Vietnamese War from February to March 1979. Operating with the 43rd Army Corps, it was mainly involved in the Battle of Cao Bằng and returned to its barracks in April. A 1985 restructuring converted it into the 128th Infantry Division and transferred it to the 20th Army after the 43rd Army Corps was disbanded. It became a Category B northern infantry division, consisting of the 382nd, 383rd, and 384th Infantry Regiments and an artillery regiment. In 1996, the division was transferred to the People's Armed Police and redesignated the 128th Armed Police Division. It was assigned Unit 8680 and headquartered in Gongyi, Zhengzhou. Its reported subordinate units were the 382nd Armed Police Regiment in Yanshi, the 383rd Armed Police Regiment in Ruzhou, the 384th Armed Police Regiment in Mengjin, and the 708th Armed Police Regiment in Dengfeng. The formation performed domestic emergency and security-support missions, including flood relief in 1998 and protection duties connected with Expo 2010 and the 2010 Asian Games. In 2017, it was merged into the 1st Mobile Contingent, ending its existence as a separate division.
- 2017
Merger into the 1st Mobile Contingent
[1]The division was merged into the 1st Mobile Contingent during a People's Armed Police restructuring.
- 1996
Transfer to the People's Armed Police
[1]The division became the 128th Armed Police Division, received Unit 8680, and established its headquarters in Gongyi, Zhengzhou.
- 1985
Reconstitution as the 128th Infantry Division
[1]After the disbandment of the 43rd Army Corps, the formation became the 128th Infantry Division and transferred to the 20th Army.
- 1979
Sino-Vietnamese War deployment
[1]The division deployed with the 43rd Army Corps and fought primarily in the Battle of Cao Bằng.
- 1960
Redesignation as the 128th Army Division
[1]The division was redesignated the 128th Army Division.
- 1950
Hainan Island Campaign
[1]The division participated in the Hainan Island Campaign and later established its garrison on the island.
- 1948
Establishment as the 128th Division
[1]The division was created in November through a Central Military Commission redesignation of the 17th Division of the Northeastern Field Army's 6th Column.
- 1938
Lineage traced to a Shandong anti-Japanese detachment
[1]The formation's institutional lineage began with the 3rd Detachment of the Shandong People's Anti-Japanese Guerilla Force of the Eighth Route Army.
Products and positioning
A state military and paramilitary formation responsible for combat operations, internal security support, emergency response, and major-event protection; not a commercial brand.
Marketing campaigns
- 1979Sino-Vietnamese War
Cao Bằng · Vietnam
The division deployed with the 43rd Army Corps during the Sino-Vietnamese War and was principally engaged in the Battle of Cao Bằng.
Outcome. The division returned to its barracks in April 1979.
- 1950Hainan Island Campaign
Hainan Island · China
The division participated in the People's Liberation Army campaign to capture Hainan Island and subsequently remained assigned to the island as a garrison formation.
Outcome. The campaign resulted in the division's post-operation garrisoning on Hainan Island.
Brand decisions
2017
Merger into the 1st Mobile ContingentM&ABackground
A reorganization of the People's Armed Police changed the structure of its mobile forces.
Action taken
The 128th Armed Police Mobile Division was merged into the 1st Mobile Contingent.
Aftermath
The division ceased to exist as a separate formation.
1996
Transfer from the PLA to the People's Armed PoliceStrategyBackground
The division underwent an institutional transfer during the post-1985 restructuring era.
Action taken
It was redesignated the 128th Armed Police Division, assigned Unit 8680, and headquartered in Gongyi, Zhengzhou.
Aftermath
The formation undertook domestic security, emergency-response, and major-event protection duties under the People's Armed Police.
Sources1 sources
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