Tomb of the Nine Martyred Diplomatic Envoys

Tomb of the Nine Martyred Diplomatic Envoys

The Tomb of the Nine Martyred Diplomatic Envoys is a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit and a classic red tourism site.

Tomb of the Nine Martyred Diplomatic Envoys

Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit, Fourth Batch, April 1995 Tomb of the Nine Martyred Diplomatic Envoys, 1947, Nanjing Juhuatai

In 1941, when the Pacific War broke out, Manila, the capital of the Philippines, was quickly besieged by Japanese forces. The Chinese diplomatic envoys stationed in Manila—Yang Guangsheng, Zhu Shaoping, Mo Jien, Yao Zhuxiu, Xiao Dongming, Yang Qingshou, Lu Bingshu, and Wang Gongwei—along with eight others, remained in a foreign land. They refused to recognize the puppet regime of Wang Jingwei, joined forces with the overseas Chinese community in the anti-Japanese salvation movement, and fought tenaciously to protect the interests of the nation, the people, and the overseas Chinese against the Japanese invaders. In January 1942, Yang Guangsheng and others were detained by the Japanese military. On April 17, disregarding international conventions, the Japanese secretly executed the eight men. In 1945, the Japanese brutally killed another resister, diplomat Zhuo Huanlai, who had steadfastly refused to surrender while stationed in Sandakan.

The Tomb of the Nine Martyred Diplomatic Envoys of the Republic of China government is located within Nanjing’s Juhuatai Park.

In the year following the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the remains of the nine martyrs were transported to Nanjing. The Nationalist Government built a martyrs’ cemetery in Juhuatai Park and renamed the park Zhonglie (Loyal Martyrs) Park. The loyal remains of the nine martyrs finally returned to their homeland and found peace.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units