Suqian Martyrs' Cemetery

Suqian Martyrs' Cemetery

Suqian Martyrs' Cemetery is a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit, a classic red tourism destination, and a national defense education base.

Suqian Martyrs' Cemetery is situated in the central square of Xingfu Road, Suqian City. The Northern Suqian Campaign was the first battle fought by the Shandong Field Army and the Central China Field Army after their convergence in the early stage of the Liberation War. The campaign began on December 13, 1946, in northern Suqian and ended on the 19th. Following the combat strategy of "concentrating superior forces to annihilate the enemy in detail," under the command of Chen Yi, Su Yu, and others, 24 regiments were assembled to engage in fierce battles against the Kuomintang's reorganized 69th and 11th Divisions. The 69th Division was completely wiped out, and the 11th Division was severely damaged, with a total of over 21,000 enemy troops eliminated or captured. The commander of the 69th Division, Dai Zhiqi, committed suicide, while his deputy commander Rao Shaowei and chief of staff Zhang Dongyi were taken prisoner. The Northern Suqian Campaign stands as a shining example of our army’s successful annihilation operations by concentrating superior forces, and its victory over an entire reorganized Kuomintang division is recorded in the annals of the Liberation War. The cemetery was established in 1954, covering an area of 87,000 square meters. It features the Malingshan Revolutionary Martyrs' Memorial Tower commemorating the Northern Suqian Campaign, the Northern Suqian Campaign Memorial Hall, the Northern Suqian Campaign Introduction Stele Pavilion, the General Zhu Rui Stele Pavilion, the Ma Lun Martyrs' Stele Pavilion, a sculpture of young hero Han Yujian, and a stele dedicated to anti-Japanese martyrs. The Northern Suqian Campaign Memorial Hall has an exhibition area of 1,920 square meters, displaying 486 photographs and 276 artifacts. The cemetery is recognized as a Jiangsu Provincial-level Protected Martyrs' Memorial Facility, a Jiangsu Provincial Patriotic Education Base, and a Jiangsu Provincial National Defense Education Base.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units