Dalian Heroes Memorial Park

Dalian Heroes Memorial Park

Dalian Heroes Memorial Park serves as a base for patriotic education and national defense education.

Dalian Heroes Memorial Park is located at No. 98 Jiniang Street, Xigang District, Dalian. The site was formerly occupied by the former Dalian Funeral Home, Dalian Eyeglass Factory, Dalian Toy Factory, and the garage of Dalian Bus Company. On March 28, 1998, the Dalian Municipal Government invested 35 million yuan to relocate the original occupants and construct the Dalian Heroes Memorial Park, which was completed in July 1999, covering an area of 10.06 hectares.

Dalian Heroes Memorial Park is divided into a memorial area, a leisure and sightseeing area, and a landscaping area. The memorial area consists of two parts: an exhibition of heroic deeds and a martyrs’ cemetery. The exhibition of heroic deeds features stone carvings, bronze sculptures of 58 revolutionary pioneers such as Cai Hesen and Deng Zhongxia, as well as a 180-square-meter relief wall depicting the history of the Chinese people’s revolution. The relief wall includes designs representing the Spirit of the Nation, the Spirit of the Great Wall, historical events, “The Internationale,” and “March of the Volunteers.” The martyrs’ cemetery contains tombstones of 86 martyrs who sacrificed their lives between 1960 and 2002. The entire memorial area is surrounded by green lawns and cypresses, resembling a vivid historical scroll that serves as a powerful educational site for mourning heroes, promoting patriotism, and enhancing national defense awareness. The leisure and sightseeing area is split into an upper square and a lower square. The upper square features the “Drop of Blood” monument, a steel structure symbolizing people’s longing for peace and freedom after enduring bloodshed and fire. The 17-meter-high monument glows red under neon lights at night, creating a stunning nightscape and becoming one of Dalian’s iconic sights. The landscaping area covers 75,000 square meters, with 40,000 trees and 9,000 flowers planted in the park. In summer, it is filled with blooming flowers and lush green grass, while in winter, the evergreen pines and cypresses provide a serene view, making it a popular leisure destination for residents.

Dalian Heroes Memorial Park closely aligns with the theme of national defense education, continuously improving facilities, enriching content, and refining management organizations and systems. It actively carries out various national defense education activities. According to incomplete statistics, the park has hosted over 800,000 visitors for national defense education purposes to date. On holidays such as Tomb-Sweeping Day, Youth Day on May 4th, and the July 1st Party Founding Day, citizens—especially primary and secondary school students, Party members, and League members—visit the memorial park to hold commemorative activities. On July 1, 2001, to mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, Dalian Shipyard organized new Party members to take their oath of admission in front of the “Drop of Blood” monument and the patterns on the People’s Revolutionary History relief wall, including “The Internationale” and “March of the Volunteers.” On September 15 of the same year, China’s first National Defense Education Day was observed. With the theme “Remember History, Stay Vigilant in Peace, and Fulfill National Defense Responsibilities and Obligations According to Law,” the memorial park fully leveraged its role as an educational base. Staff were assigned to provide guided tours and maintain order, and the park received over 6,000 visitors that day. In September 2005, during the 60th anniversary commemorations of the victory in the War of Resistance against Japan, the park welcomed more than 30,000 citizens who came to pay tribute to anti-Japanese heroes such as Yang Jingyu, Zhao Yiman, and Liu Zhidan.

Over the years, the memorial park has played a significant role in promoting the regularization, institutionalization, and socialization of national defense education. In January 2002 and April 2004, it was designated as the “Liaoning Provincial National Defense Education Base” and the “Liaoning Provincial National Defense Education Demonstration Base” by the Provincial National Defense Education Committee, respectively. In April 2007, it was re-designated as the “Liaoning Provincial National Defense Education Base” by the provincial government.