Tomb of the Cantonese Soldiers Who Died in Battle

Tomb of the Cantonese Soldiers Who Died in Battle

The Tomb of the Cantonese Soldiers Who Died in Battle is a protected cultural heritage site of Jiangsu Province.

Tomb of the Cantonese Soldiers Who Died in Battle

This tomb is situated on the western lakeside within Mochou Lake Park, outside Shuixi Gate in Nanjing. In January 1912, under Yuan Shikai’s direction, Zhang Xun marched south from Xuzhou in an attempt to overthrow the provisional government of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Sun dispatched Yao Yuping and Bai Wenwei to lead the Cantonese Army in the Northern Expedition. They achieved their first victory at Guzhen, then captured Sucheng, and finally took Xuzhou. The success of the Cantonese Army’s Northern Expedition not only defended the revolutionary government born of the Xinhai Revolution but also prompted the abdication of Emperor Xuantong, bringing an end to more than two thousand years of feudal monarchy. In March 1912, to commemorate the Cantonese soldiers who died during the Northern Expedition, Yao Yuping had their remains transported back to Nanjing for burial. During the Anti-Japanese War, the tomb was destroyed. It was rebuilt in 1948, when the graves of 61 martyrs buried separately, along with those of the former Battalion Commander who had died in battle prior to the Northern Expedition, were combined into one large tomb. In the summer of 1966, the tomb was damaged again and was restored once more in 1979. The tomb mound is built from granite, shaped hemispherically on top and resembling a Sumeru pedestal at the base, with a diameter of 4 meters and a height of approximately 2.6 meters. Behind the tomb is a 30-meter-long arc-shaped screen wall. In front of the tomb stands a stone pagoda engraved with inscriptions. It has a flat top, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, featuring carved patterns. The body of the pagoda is undecorated and rests on a Sumeru pedestal. The pedestal is 2.41 meters wide, 2 meters thick, and 1.01 meters high, with the overall height of the structure reaching 4.6 meters. Inside the pagoda is a stone tablet, which is 2.82 meters high, 1.05 meters wide, and 1 meter thick. The front side is engraved with Sun Yat-sen’s calligraphy reading “For the Founding of the Nation, They Died as Martyrs.” The reverse side features an inscription in low relief written by Huang Xing, documenting the historical facts of the Cantonese Army’s Northern Expedition and commemorating the immortal achievements of the fallen soldiers.

Third Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Jiangsu Province, March 1982 – Tomb of the Cantonese Soldiers Who Died in Battle, 1912, Mochou Lake, Nanjing

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Jiangsu Province