Aiyuan

Aiyuan

Aiyuan Martyrs' Cemetery (National Anti-Japanese War Memorial Site)

Aiyuan Park, also known as Aiyuan Martyrs' Cemetery, is situated at the southern end of Aiyuan Road in Zhongxing Town, Siyang County, and the northern end of the Siyang Bridge over the Grand Canal. Constructed during the Anti-Japanese War, it is the earliest martyrs' cemetery in the Huaihai region. To honor the revolutionary martyrs who died heroically in the war and to encourage the people to fight the enemy bravely, the Huaihai District Party Committee, the Administrative Office, and the Simu County Government decided to establish a public cemetery. The project was personally planned and organized by Li Yimang, director of the Administrative Office, who also proposed naming it Aiyuan. The original site was a garden owned by Tang Guangda, a local landlord in Beipeiwei, covering an area of 64 mu. It featured a large pine forest, various trees, flowers, and plants, and boasted beautiful scenery. To facilitate visits by people from all walks of life to pay tribute to the martyrs, in 1953, Aiyuan was relocated to the seat of Siyang County government. Li Yimang rewrote the inscription for the park. The current Aiyuan covers an area of 126 mu, including 17 mu of water surface. The main structure of the garden, the "Zhaozhong Shrine," is grand in scale, with a construction area of 650 square meters. The shrine's interior displays are solemn and respectful, with 32 plaques and couplets dedicated to the martyrs, gifted by figures from various sectors during the later stages of the war when the cemetery was built. These are hung on the walls, along with 18 couplets offered by the county Party committee, county government, and related organizations after the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Starting in 1984, the "Siyang County Revolutionary History Exhibition Hall" was added inside the Zhaozhong Shrine. The exhibition uses physical objects, photographs, and historical materials to showcase the revolutionary achievements of Siyang County under the leadership of the Communist Party of China in different historical periods. The historical materials are divided into four sections: "From the May Fourth Movement to the Eve of the Anti-Japanese War," "The Anti-Japanese War Period," "The Liberation War Period," and "After the Founding of the Nation," along with "Biographies of Some Martyrs." The northeastern hill of the park is the martyrs’ burial ground. On a high mound within the walls inscribed with “Loyal Souls Garden,” stands a memorial stele inscribed with “Long Live the Fallen Martyrs.” To the east lie the remains of 49 martyrs, including those of Dong Zhenying, a female hero of Siyang.