Dongtou Martyrs' Cemetery

Dongtou Martyrs' Cemetery

Dongtou Martyrs' Cemetery is a classic red tourism attraction.

To commemorate the revolutionary martyrs who heroically sacrificed their lives in the great cause of liberating, defending, and building Dongtou, in 1956, the Dongtou County People's Government funded the construction of a cemetery to bury over 130 fallen soldiers of the People's Liberation Army and other revolutionary martyrs. In 2002 and 2010, the government provided funding again, along with donations from all sectors of society, to renovate and expand the cemetery.

Dongtou Martyrs' Cemetery is located at the foot of Beiao Mountain in Beiao Town, Dongtou County. The cemetery faces south with its back to the mountain and northward, covering an area of 7,812 square meters with a built-up area of 650 square meters. Along the central axis are a pathway, a memorial monument, a memorial tower, and a graveyard, flanked symmetrically by pavilions separated by flower-lined zones. Walking up the pathway, you can see a couplet handwritten by Guo Moruo: “On this island, the revolutionary storm swept away the filth to illuminate the land of China; along the Ou River, the heroes’ blood flows eternal, setting an enduring example for mankind.” The memorial monument is 1.5 meters tall and 0.7 meters wide, made of white marble, and inscribed with the full account of the People's Liberation Army’s liberation of Dongtou in 1952. The memorial tower stands 11.6 meters high, with the words “Immortal for the Country” inscribed directly on the front. The graveyard is laid out in a triangular pattern across three levels, housing the remains of more than 130 martyrs, including Lin Huandao, an early revolutionary martyr of Dongtou, and Fu Yonglai, a second-class combat hero of the East China region. Behind the martyrs’ tombs is a set of bas-reliefs titled “Liberation of Dongtou,” funded by the county government, some schools, and enterprises, along with the “July 7” Memorial Monument and Pavilion commemorating the martyrs who fell in the battle to defend Dongtou on July 7, 1950. To the right of the martyrs' tombs is the first phase of the memorial hall, with a built-up area of over 200 square meters. Currently, the county government is further improving the facilities of the martyrs' cemetery, including the second phase of the memorial hall and renovation of the monument. The cemetery has become an important site for educating youth about revolutionary traditions.

Dongtou Martyrs' Cemetery is a cultural heritage site of Dongtou County and a patriotic education base of Wenzhou City.

Source: Party History Research Office of the CPC Wenzhou Municipal Committee