Cixi Revolutionary Martyrs Memorial Hall and Monument

Cixi Revolutionary Martyrs Memorial Hall and Monument

The Cixi Revolutionary Martyrs Memorial Hall and Monument are designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Cixi City and a classic red tourism attraction.

The Cixi Revolutionary Martyrs Memorial Hall and Monument were planned in 1990 and completed respectively in April 1991 and the summer of 1993, officially opening to the public on Tomb-Sweeping Day in 1995.

The memorial hall is situated on the northern slope of Maiyun Mountain, west of Zhishan Park in Hushan Subdistrict, Cixi City, with a construction area of 858 square meters. The lintel of the north building’s main gate is inscribed with the name “Cixi Revolutionary Martyrs Memorial Hall,” written by General Zhang Aiping, former Minister of National Defense. The ground floor serves as a memorial hall, featuring an introductory display at its center and bas-reliefs on the east and west inner walls depicting historical revolutionary struggles and heroic figures from various periods. The second floor houses three exhibition halls, with the main displays divided into five historical phases: the Xinhai Revolution, the founding of the Party and the Great Revolution, the Agrarian Revolutionary War, the War of Resistance against Japan, the Liberation War, and the Socialist Revolution and Construction. It also presents pictorial and textual materials introducing the life stories of 49 martyrs, including revolutionary pioneers such as Ma Zonghan, Marxist education theorist Yang Xianjiang, and Fei Dezha, commander of the First Division of the Eastern Zhejiang Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army. Additionally, it showcases the revolutionary careers of 42 martyrs—such as Zheng Xiahǔ, Qi Qianbing, and Jiang Ziying—during the Liberation War and the Socialist Revolution and Construction period, along with the “Martyrs’ Roll of Honor” documenting 498 martyrs from Cixi and other regions. There is also a video room equipped with educational audiovisual materials such as “National Spirit” and “The Blood-Stained Monument.”

The Revolutionary Martyrs Monument stands atop Maiyun Mountain at an elevation of 75 meters, facing Hangzhou Bay. It consists of the main body, base, flower pool, and other elements. The monument is majestic and upright, standing 24 meters tall (the number 24 signifies three 8s; in the Cixi dialect, “8” sounds like “north,” symbolizing the regions of Zhenbei, Yaobei, and Cibei). Clad in pristine white marble, it is designed in the shape of white sails, symbolizing the revolutionary pioneers’ enduring legacy forging ahead through challenges. The base is decorated with jujube-red granite, with eight large characters personally inscribed by General Zhang Aiping reading “Eternal Glory to the Revolutionary Martyrs” at its center. The 1,480-square-meter memorial square can accommodate over a thousand visitors for paying tribute and mourning.

Over 500 stone steps connect the memorial hall and the monument. On the western side of the monument, there is a mountain trail that winds up along the terrain, leading directly to the summit. Along the path, there are three memorial pavilions dedicated to martyrs Ma Zonghan, Yang Xianjiang, and Fei Dezha, where visitors can pay their respects or take a rest.

The Cixi Revolutionary Martyrs Memorial Hall and Monument together cover a total area of 27,800 square meters. It is the largest and most comprehensively equipped revolutionary martyrs memorial site among county-level cities in the province, serving as an important venue for patriotic and political education for government agencies, primary and secondary schools, and enterprises. Since its opening, it has attracted large numbers of visitors from all walks of life every year. In 2002, it was listed by the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province as a key provincial memorial site for martyrs under special protection.