The 178th Army Division ()(2nd Formation) was activated on July 1, 1967 at Chengxihu Farm in Huoqiu, Anhui province.
The division was a part of 60th Army Corps. As its activation the division was a behind-the-enemy-line formation, composing of 4 infantry regiments: 532nd Infantry Regiment (former 543rd); 533rd Infantry Regiment; 534th Infantry Regiment; 538th Infantry Regiment.
The division conducts agricultural construction missions until October 1969, when it was replaced by the activating 73rd Army Division and moved to Suzhou, Jiangsu as a combat alert unit. By that time the division was converted to a field-army formation, and its 538th Infantry Regiment was reorganized as Artillery Regiment, 178th Army Division. Since then the division was composed of: 532nd Infantry Regiment; 533rd Infantry Regiment; 534th Infantry Regiment; Artillery Regiment.
In September 1985 the division was disbanded. Headquarters, 178th Army Division was converted to Headquarters, Artillery Brigade of 1st Army.