Jiang Shangqing Martyr Historical Exhibition Hall

Jiang Shangqing Martyr Historical Exhibition Hall

No. 33, Jingzhong Lane, Guangling District, Yangzhou, this site was originally the location of Yangzhou Civilian Middle School, a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit. It is a Western-Chinese hybrid building with gray bricks and red windows, featuring a total floor area of 900 square meters. The structure is L-shaped, divided into two floors, with the main building facing south. Both the upper and lower levels have corridors. The privately-run Yangzhou Civilian Middle School was founded in 1933 through the initiative and funding of notable figures and educators in Yangzhou. From July 1935 to 1937, Jiang Shangqing served as a Chinese language teacher here. Using the classroom as his platform, he actively promoted progressive ideas and spread revolutionary principles. The Jiang Shangqing Martyr Historical Exhibition Hall is located on the second floor.

Jiang Shangqing was born in April 1911 into a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners in Xiannv Temple, Jiangdu County. In 1915, his family moved to Yangzhou. During his early years studying at Nantong Middle School and Yangzhou Middle School, Jiang Shangqing was actively involved in progressive activities. He joined the Communist Youth League of China in 1927. In the autumn of 1929, he was admitted to the Literature Department of Shanghai Art University and soon after joined the Chinese Communist Party. During that time, he served as the Party branch secretary and wrote numerous poems that pursued revolutionary ideals. He was arrested twice but remained steadfast and unyielding in prison. In August 1931, he was dispatched by the Party organization to study at the Sociology Department of Shanghai Jiaotong University, where he continued to engage in underground revolutionary work. In February 1932, he returned to Yangzhou to found the New Century Weekly. In 1936, he launched the Writing and Reading magazine to promote anti-Japanese ideas. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan, he initiated the formation of the "Jiangdu County Cultural Salvation Association" and published the Anti-Enemy Weekly. In November 1937, together with Chen Su and Mo Pu, he organized the "Mobile Propaganda Troupe of the Jiangdu County Cultural Salvation Association," which traveled across 17 counties in 4 provinces to carry out anti-Japanese salvation propaganda activities. After the Japanese occupied the northeastern Anhui region, in November 1938, Jiang Shangqing was appointed by the Anhui Provincial Committee as the Secretary of the Special Committee for Northeastern Anhui. He led a group of Communists to carry out work in the region, establishing a united front with Sheng Zhiwei, the Commissioner of the Sixth Administrative Supervision Zone of Anhui Province and Commander of the Fifth Guerrilla Column. He was responsible for developing the anti-Japanese base in northeastern Anhui. Taking advantage of his roles as Secretary and Deputy Commander of Security for the Sixth Administrative Supervision Zone of Anhui Province and Director of the Political Department of the Headquarters of the Fifth Guerrilla Column, Jiang Shangqing secretly recruited Communist Party members in northeastern Anhui and established grassroots Party organizations. He firmly implemented the Party’s united front policy, creating anti-Japanese armed forces controlled by undercover Party members. He founded the Northeastern Anhui Daily and organized the "Northeastern Anhui Anti-Japanese Military and Political Cadre School." On August 29, 1939, after assisting Zhang Aiping and others in talks with local Nationalist power brokers, Jiang Shangqing was ambushed by reactionary landlord militias on his way back to headquarters with Sheng Zhiwei and others. He was fatally shot multiple times and died heroically at the age of 28.

Although Jiang Shangqing died young, he remains alive in the hearts of the people. In 2009, the 70th anniversary of his death, he was honored by the Publicity Department and the Organization Department of the Central Committee as one of the “100 Heroes and Model Figures Who Made Outstanding Contributions to the Founding of New China.” In October 2011, the Yangzhou Municipal Committee decided to convert the former site of the Civilian Middle School into the Jiang Shangqing Historical Exhibition Hall, listing it as a key project in the construction of the city’s cultural museum complex. The restoration of the Civilian Middle School site and the preparation of the exhibition were overseen by the Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau. The renovation work was carried out simultaneously with the collection of historical materials and the design of the exhibition. The renovation and setup of the museum were completed by the end of March 2012. The Jiang Shangqing Martyr Historical Exhibition Hall showcases many glorious moments from Comrade Jiang Shangqing’s revolutionary career, condensing his touching deeds such as teaching and nurturing students, resisting Japan and saving the nation, awakening the public, establishing a united front, sacrificing in northeastern Anhui, and dedicating himself to the country. These precious historical materials bear witness to history. The exhibition fully displays Jiang Shangqing’s revolutionary life—both brilliant and brief—through text, images, scenes, projections, and holographic imaging.

On April 4, 2012, the Jiang Shangqing Martyr Historical Exhibition Hall officially opened to the public. Members of the Municipal Standing Committee and leaders from the Municipal People’s Congress, Municipal Government, and Municipal Political Consultative Conference attended the opening ceremony. Comrade Xie Zhengyi, Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, and leaders from the Provincial Civil Affairs Department delivered speeches. After the ceremony, city leaders, along with over 300 representatives from municipal agencies and students, visited the Jiang Shangqing Martyr Historical Exhibition Hall with deep reverence. Over the four years since its opening, the museum has received over 200,000 visitors from all walks of life and has become an important base for educating Party members, cadres, and youth in patriotism, revolutionary traditions, and Party spirit and conduct.

The former residence of Jiang Shangqing Martyr is located at No. 16, Dongquamen, in Yangzhou’s old city. Originally a Qing Dynasty-era house, it features five courtyards. The first courtyard includes a three-room entrance gate, followed by a main hall to the north, then the middle and rear courtyards, and finally the kitchen. The middle and rear courtyards each consist of three rooms with two side wings, separated by courtyards and connected by fire lanes on both sides. The entrance gate is an ornate blue-brick archway with a white marble threshold, and the original appearance has been well preserved after renovation.