Yang Zirong Martyrs' Cemetery

Yang Zirong Martyrs' Cemetery

The Yang Zirong Martyrs' Cemetery is a cultural tourism attraction, a classic red tourism site, and a patriotic education base.

Yang Zirong Martyrs' Cemetery

The Yang Zirong Martyrs' Memorial Hall is located among the lush pines and cypresses of the Dongshan Martyrs' Cemetery in Hailin City, Mudanjiang, and was built to commemorate the famous reconnaissance hero, Martyr Yang Zirong. It officially opened on April 5, 1981. The memorial hall displays photographs and relics related to the life and deeds of the martyr.

The hill behind the memorial hall is the martyrs' cemetery, where the Martyrs' Monument stands tall. The monument is 8.1 meters high, symbolizing the "August 1st" Army Day. The front of the monument bears seven large characters inscribed by calligrapher Zou Wenxiu: “Revolutionary Martyrs Monument.” Behind the monument are engraved the names of Yang Zirong, Ma Lutian, Gao Bo, and 165 comrades-in-arms of Yang Zirong. The monument is built from granite, surrounded by stone corridors and iron chains, exuding solemnity and reverence. Twenty meters behind the monument lies the tomb of Martyr Yang Zirong. The gravestone in front of the tomb is carved from granite, standing 3.1 meters high, symbolizing the age of 31 at which Martyr Yang Zirong sacrificed his life.

Yang Zirong was born in 1917 in Jiaodong, Shandong. In the autumn of 1945, he joined the “Navy Detachment” of the Jiaodong Military District of the Eighth Route Army, and later became a member of the Chinese Communist Party. In early 1946, his unit was deployed to Hailin County, Heilongjiang Province, and was reorganized as the Second Regiment of the Mudanjiang Military District. Comrade Zirong served as the squad leader of the 1st Squad, 7th Platoon, 3rd Battalion, and was promoted to platoon leader of the regiment’s direct reconnaissance platoon in April of the same year. To establish a solid base in the northeast, Yang Zirong displayed great wisdom and courage in over a year of anti-bandit operations, achieving numerous military merits. In early February 1947, he single-handedly infiltrated a bandit stronghold, coordinated an internal and external effort, and captured the bandit leader “Zuoshan Diaojian.” He was awarded a Third-Class Merit. On February 23, he heroically sacrificed his life during a battle in Naozhizigou, Lishugou Mountain, north of Hailin, while pursuing remaining bandits.

The opera “Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy,” created by Qu Bo, Yang Zirong’s regimental staff officer, based on his deeds, further popularized the hero’s name. Today, the Yang Zirong Martyrs' Cemetery has become a must-visit destination, and the Yang Zirong Martyrs' Memorial Hall has been approved by the Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government as a provincial-level patriotic education base.

Address: No. 1 Zirong Street, Hailin Town, Hailin City, Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang Province

Transportation: Harbin (train) → Hailin (bus) → Yang Zirong Martyrs' Cemetery and Bandit Suppression Sites

Information source: Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China