Site of the "May Thirtieth" Martyrs' Cemetery

Site of the "May Thirtieth" Martyrs' Cemetery

The site of the "May Thirtieth" Martyrs' Cemetery is a protected cultural heritage site of Shanghai.

Site of the "May Thirtieth" Martyrs' Cemetery

Located along the street near the intersection of Xintongxin Road and Zhuzhou Road, after the May Thirtieth Nanjing Road Massacre in 1925, various sectors in Shanghai organized the construction of a martyrs’ cemetery, which was completed in the spring of 1928 at what is now No. 668 Guangzhong Road, known as the "May Thirtieth Martyrs' Cemetery." The cemetery faces south, and upon entering the walls, visitors can follow the memorial pathway to reach the towering May Thirtieth Martyrs’ Monument Pavilion in the center. The base of the pavilion is approximately 13 meters on each side, with 18 stone steps on all four sides; the roof is pyramid-shaped, with carved stone lions at each corner. The front is inscribed with the words “Let the Coming Generations Never Forget,” while the side features the “May Thirtieth Martyrs’ Cemetery Stele,” written by Cai Yuanpei and calligraphed by Tan Yankai, recounting the details of the May Thirtieth Incident and listing the names of the 25 martyrs who lost their lives.

It is infuriating that during the January 28 Incident in 1932 and the August 13 Incident in 1937, Japanese artillery fire successively destroyed the May Thirtieth Martyrs’ Monument Pavilion and shattered the memorial stele.

There are still feasible conditions for reconstructing the May Thirtieth Martyrs’ Monument Pavilion today, as two fragments of the “May Thirtieth Martyrs’ Cemetery Stele” were discovered in 1950 and are currently preserved at the Memorial Museum of the First National Congress of the CPC. In 1964, another fragment—the “List of Martyrs’ Names, Origins, and Donors for the Cemetery Construction”—was found and is now housed at the Shanghai History Museum. These artifacts have laid the foundation for reconstruction efforts.

In 1987, the municipal government erected a commemorative stone near the side gate of the Sixth Central Primary School in Hongkou District on Xintongxin Road to mark the site as a historical memorial.