Historical Evidence Sites of Japanese Invasion Crimes in Huainan

Historical Evidence Sites of Japanese Invasion Crimes in Huainan

The Historical Evidence Sites of Japanese Invasion Crimes in Huainan are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Historical Evidence Sites of Japanese Invasion Crimes in Huainan are located in Datong District, Huainan City, and include nine sites: the Mass Grave, the Rear Station Bunker, the Bunker Water Dungeon, the Secret Water Dungeon, the Kiln God Temple, the Japanese Army Headquarters, the Japanese Army Ammunition Depot, the Japanese Army Bunker, and the Japanese Army South Dormitory Bunker.

Mass Grave

Located in the southern part of the Huainan Datong “Mass Grave” Education Hall, there are three north-south rectangular pits, each 18 meters long, 3 meters wide, and 3 meters deep, with a spacing of 2.4 meters between them. From the summer of 1938 (the 27th year of the Republic of China) to the winter of 1941 (the 30th year of the Republic of China), the remains of over ten thousand miners and their family members who were killed by the Japanese army or died from eating moldy bran distributed by them were thrown into the “Mass Grave” by the Japanese to cover up their crimes. In 1968, the “Mass Grave” was reopened and restored, and a Class Education Exhibition Hall was built on it. In 1978, the provincial government and the Huainan Mining Bureau (predecessor of the Huainan Mining Group) invested more than 700,000 yuan to construct the Mass Grave exhibition hall and education hall (which was not fully completed due to insufficient funds), and held the “Exhibition of Japanese Occupation of Huainan.” In 1995, it was named a Provincial Patriotic Education Base. In 2004, the “Mass Grave” and the education hall were transferred from the Huainan Mining Group to the cultural authorities of Huainan City. In the same year, the Huainan Datong “Mass Grave” Education Hall was established. In 2005, the Huainan municipal government allocated funds for a comprehensive renovation of the “Mass Grave” and the education hall, reopening it to the public. Free admission began in 2008. In 2010, it was rated as an “AAA Tourist Scenic Area.”

Secret Water Dungeon

Built by the Japanese army in 1940 (the 29th year of the Republic of China). Due to its location in a coal mining subsidence area, in 1968, the Huainan Mining Bureau (predecessor of the Huainan Mining Group) relocated the Secret Water Dungeon from inside the south gate of the original Datong Coal Mine to about 200 meters northwest outside the “Mass Grave” Education Hall, restoring it using original materials. Covering an area of 120 square meters and standing 6.9 meters high, it is a gray-brick corner-tiled house divided into above-ground (interrogation room) and underground (water dungeon) sections: the above-ground part is split into two roughly equal sections by a partition wall, each with an iron door and a 1-meter-square vertical shaft next to the door, covered with an iron plate and connected to the underground water dungeon by an iron ladder. Nearly a hundred miners and New Fourth Army soldiers were tortured to death in the Secret Water Dungeon.

Kiln God Temple

Located in Jurong New Village, it was built by the Japanese army in May 1941 (the 30th year of the Republic of China). It is a brick-and-wood structure imitating ancient architecture, facing south with a flush gable roof and gray bricks with gray tiles. The total height is 6.9 meters, with a width of 3 bays (12.55 meters) and a depth of 7.44 meters. It has a through-beam wooden structure with a double-eave roof and a surrounding corridor underneath. The front has one door and two windows, with semicircular decorations on the upper parts of the windows and door forming a simple sunrise pattern, showing distinct Japanese architectural style. The temple originally housed clay statues of Laozi riding an ox and the Kiln God, which were removed after liberation. In 1987, the Huainan municipal finance invested in renovations and added a protective courtyard wall. In 2011, with approval from the provincial cultural relics bureau, the Huainan cultural relics department carried out dismantling and restoration of the Kiln God Temple, along with renovating auxiliary facilities and the courtyard environment, planning to open a small exhibition to the public for free.

Rear Station Bunker

Located 50 meters west of the original Datong Railway Station (the railway has since been rerouted and the station demolished). Built by the Japanese army in 1939 (the 28th year of the Republic of China), it is a cylindrical structure made of brick, stone, and cement, smaller at the top and larger at the bottom, with a cement finish. It stands 14.1 meters high, with a base diameter of 6 meters, and has three levels, with a platform on the top level surrounded by crenellations. Each level has gun ports and air vents, connected by iron ladders. The bottom layer has walls 1 meter thick and an iron door on the south side. In 2002, with consent from the provincial cultural relics bureau, a roundabout was set up during the expansion of Dongshan Road to protect the Rear Station Bunker in situ. In 2004, the municipal government allocated funds for protective maintenance.

Bunker Water Dungeon

Located in the northwest corner of Datong No. 1 Primary School campus. Built by the Japanese army in 1939 (the 28th year of the Republic of China), the above-ground part is a cylindrical stone-and-cement structure, 6.4 meters high and 7 meters in diameter, with two levels, each having four gun ports, and a platform on the top level. The underground part is a water dungeon of the same diameter as the bunker, 2 meters deep. There are iron doors on the north and west sides. In 1993, the provincial finance allocated funds for the maintenance of the Bunker Water Dungeon.

The Historical Evidence Sites of Japanese Invasion Crimes in Huainan are powerful testimonies to the crimes of Japanese militarist aggression, collectively reflecting the atrocities of the Japanese army's widespread invasion, abuse of civilians, and plundering of coal resources in inland China.

In May 2013, the State Council (State Council Document [2013] No. 13) designated the Historical Evidence Sites of Japanese Invasion Crimes in Huainan as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Further Reading:

·Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units