The Battle of Jinan (Chinese: 济南战役; pinyin: Jǐnán Zhànyì) was a critical engagement fought between the Kuomintang (KMT or Chinese Nationalist Party) and the Communist Party of China (CPC) from September 16 to September 24, 1948 during the Chinese Civil War. The communist Eastern China Field Army besieged and finally captured the city of Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province and a major urban center as well as a transportation hub in northeastern China that had a population of about 600,000 at the time of the battle. The communist victory set the stage for the Huaihai Campaign.