Martyrs' Cemetery of the Anti-Japanese War in Yeshanzhai

Martyrs' Cemetery of the Anti-Japanese War in Yeshanzhai

The Martyrs' Cemetery of the Anti-Japanese War in Yeshanzhai is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

The Martyrs' Cemetery of the Anti-Japanese War in Yeshanzhai is located on Yixing Mountain within the campus of Yeshan Middle School in Qianshan County, Anhui Province. The entire cemetery covers an area of about 2 hectares and consists of structures such as the Zhonglie Shrine, Haoran Pavilion, Jingzhong Hall, Guangyue Pavilion, Juehou Pavilion, and a memorial monument. Among them, the Zhonglie Shrine is the main building of the cemetery, featuring a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, a five-bay facade, and facing south, with a memorial archway built on the east side. Auxiliary structures include the Haoran Pavilion to the southeast, with a double-eave hexagonal spire roof; the Juehou Pavilion to the east, featuring a single-eave four-cornered spire roof; the commemorative Jingzhong Hall with gray tiles and red walls; and a square marble memorial monument erected on Yixing Mountain, inscribed with text personally penned by former Nationalist Lieutenant General Bai Chongxi. The Guangyue Pavilion has been destroyed. In front of the Zhonglie Shrine lies a rectangular burial mound, approximately 20 meters long and 25 meters wide, within which the remains of 985 fallen soldiers are orderly arranged in ceramic jars. Eighty stone steps lead up to the front of the mound.

These fallen soldiers were from the 176th Division of the 48th Army of the Nationalist Party's Guangxi Clique. Between 1939 and 1944, this division fought bravely against the Japanese invading forces in Tongcheng, Huaining, Qianshan, and Huangmei in Hubei, tragically losing their lives in battle, including three regimental commanders who died for their country. To commemorate these martyrs' fearless heroism and deep patriotism, the Martyrs' Cemetery of the Anti-Japanese War in Yeshanzhai was completed in June 1943 with support and advocacy from various parties. In 1976, the cemetery was designated as a county-level key cultural relic protection unit by the Qianshan County People's Government, and in May 1998, it was declared a provincial-level key cultural relic protection unit by the Anhui Provincial People's Government.