Mount Ararat focus of the searches for Noah's Ark. Augustin Calmet wrote in his 1722 biblical dictionary, "It is affirmed, but without proof, that there are still remains of Noah's ark on the top of this mountain; but M. de Tournefort, who visited this spot, has assured us there was nothing like it; that the top of mount Ararat is inaccessible, both by reason of its great height, and of the snow which perpetually covers it." Archaeological expeditions, sometimes supported by evangelical and millenarian churches, have been conducted since the 19th century in search of the ark. According to a 1974 book
Campaign in the Eastern Foothills of the Funiu Mountains new bases. To carry out this strategy, Chen Geng (陈赓) and Xie Fuzhi decided to launch the Campaign in the Eastern Foothills of the Funiu Mountains. Both sides were equally matched in terms of numbers, but the nationalists enjoyed significant technical advantage in terms of weaponry. The campaign started on October 29, 1947 with the communist 55th Division of the 38th Army deployed along the Longhai Railroad to tie down the nationalist forces, and the rest units of the communist 38th Army and the 12th Brigade of the communist 4th Column struck toward southern Shaanxi. The rest units of the