Cemetery of the Martyrs of March 18

Cemetery of the Martyrs of March 18

The Cemetery of the Martyrs of March 18 is a cultural heritage site protected by Beijing Municipality and also serves as a patriotic education base.

The March 18 Incident and some of the related sites and names of the martyrs have become widely known, but it’s hard to say how many people have actually paid their respects at this “Cemetery of the Martyrs of March 18.” The cemetery is located within the ruins of the Old Summer Palace in the western suburbs. After the shocking March 18 Incident that stunned both China and the world, the remains of a few martyrs were taken back by their families for private burial or sent back to their hometowns for funeral arrangements, while the majority of the martyrs’ remains were temporarily placed in various temples in Beijing. Three years later, they were collectively interred at the site of the Jiuzhou Qingyan Hall within the Old Summer Palace. The “Cemetery of the Martyrs of March 18” features a circular base made of white stone, over one meter high and covering an area of about 80 square meters. At the center of the base stands a hexagonal, milky-white marble stele more than five meters tall. The front of the stele is inscribed with seven seal characters reading “Cemetery of the Martyrs of March 18” and the words “Erected by the Special Municipality Government of Beiping, April, 1929.” The pedestal of the stele is engraved with an epitaph written by He Qigong, then mayor of the Special Municipality of Beiping, recounting the details of the incident, as well as the names, ages, and hometowns of the 39 martyrs. There are 28 burial niches around the base, where the remains of martyrs such as Liu Hezhen, Yang Dequn, and Chen Guishen are laid to rest. At the time, the people of Beijing built the “Cemetery of the Martyrs of March 18” within the ruins of the Old Summer Palace to ensure that the world would never forget the atrocities and crimes committed by imperialist powers, and to inspire a spirit of national awakening among the Chinese people. In recent years, relevant departments have allocated special funds to renovate the weather-worn base and stele.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Municipal Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Beijing