Martyrs' Cemetery of the Anti-Japanese War in Yezhai

Martyrs' Cemetery of the Anti-Japanese War in Yezhai

The Martyrs' Cemetery of the Anti-Japanese War in Yezhai is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Martyrs' Cemetery of the Anti-Japanese War in Yezhai is situated on the campus of Yezhai Middle School in Qianshan, at the foot of Tianzhu Mountain, a UNESCO Global Geopark. It was built in 1942 and completed in 1943, and contains the remains of 985 soldiers from the 176th Regiment of the 48th Army of the National Revolutionary Army who died in the war against Japan. The 176th Regiment was a successor unit of the famous 19th Route Army and the only Chinese military unit to have participated in the Battle of Shanghai twice. It fought across thousands of miles in the bloody war against Japanese aggression. In 1943, prominent figures from 13 counties in Anhui and Hubei provinces jointly funded the construction of a cemetery complex in Yezhai, which includes the martyrs' cemetery and 12 commemorative structures, to honor the soldiers of the 176th Regiment who died in the war. The complex also includes the Jingzhong Middle School (now Yezhai Middle School), built to protect the cemetery, cultivate the descendants of the martyrs, and nurture local talent. This is the only large-scale martyrs' cemetery from the Anti-Japanese War still preserved within a middle school campus in China, and Yezhai Middle School is also the only school in the country established specifically to safeguard a martyrs' cemetery.

The Martyrs' Cemetery of the Anti-Japanese War in Yezhai records the history of the Chinese military’s fight on the main battlefields during the War of Resistance against Japan, as well as the history of the persistent resistance by the people of the Dabie Mountains region. It stands as a precious relic of the nationwide war effort and the history of resistance in the Jianghuai and Dabie Mountain areas. This historical site vividly demonstrates the national spirit of defending the homeland at all costs, unity in the face of a common enemy, indomitable will, and determination to fight to the bitter end. It reflects the tremendous sacrifices made by the Chinese people in the global fight against fascism and their indelible historical contributions.

On October 7, 2019, the Martyrs' Cemetery of the Anti-Japanese War in Yezhai was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units