Tomb of the Nine Martyrs in Nanjing

Tomb of the Nine Martyrs in Nanjing

The Tomb of the Nine Martyrs in Nanjing is a cultural tourism attraction and a classic red tourism site.

A cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu Province. Located within Juhuatai Park outside Zhonghua Gate in Nanjing. The tombs of the nine martyrs are arranged in a fan shape, facing east and backed by the west, enclosed by a skirt wall over one meter high. At the lower part stands a memorial stele inscribed with the deeds and life stories of the nine martyrs. The tombs were destroyed and the stele smashed during the “0” period.

The Tomb of the Nine Martyrs in Nanjing is located to the west of Yuhuatai and is named after the nine patriotic martyrs buried there. In 1941, Japan orchestrated the “Pearl Harbor Incident.” On April 17, 1942, Japanese forces occupied the Philippines. The Japanese invaders attempted to coerce the staff of the Chinese Consulate General in Manila into surrendering and collaborating with the puppet regime, demanding that they pledge allegiance to the “Japanese Emperor.” The consulate’s diplomatic personnel firmly resisted. They faced the enemy’s bayonets with unyielding integrity, choosing death over submission, and were brutally killed. The nine martyrs were: Yang Guangxing, Consul General of the Consulate General in Manila; consuls Mo Jien and Zhu Jieping; chief clerk Lu Bingshu; Xiao Dongming; Zhuo Huanlai, consul of the Consulate in Sandakan; Yang Qingshou, acting consul with the rank of attaché at the Consulate General in Manila; Yao Zhuxiu, acting consul with the rank of attaché; and Wang Gongwei, Category A trainee. In 1947, people from all walks of life in Nanjing gathered to discuss and decided to relocate the remains of the nine martyrs and bury them beneath Juhuatai.