Monument to the Tragedy

Monument to the Tragedy

The Monument to the Tragedy is a classic site of red tourism.

In the early hours of July 16, 1940, under fierce naval bombardment and cover from circling Japanese aircraft, about two hundred enemy soldiers landed at Yongning from the sea in three separate routes. After landing, the Japanese invaders rampantly bombed the area, burning, killing, raping, and looting without restraint. They ravaged a total of thirteen villages including Yongning, Meilin, and Gangbian, killing over one hundred soldiers and civilians, injuring more than twenty people, burning nearly three hundred boats of various sizes, and destroying nearly one hundred buildings and shops. Countless goods were burned or looted. On January 16, 1941, representatives from all sectors of Yongning held a memorial service at Yongning for the soldiers and civilians who perished on “July 16,” convening a memorial assembly at the front of the “Filial Daughter’s Temple” outside the west gate of Yongning (currently located beside Shiyong Road outside the west gate of Yongning). A four-sided, truncated pyramid-shaped monument standing 1.9 meters tall was erected there, inscribed on a stone slab. The monument is built from granite and consists of a base and body. The square base has inscriptions on all four sides: the front bears the words “Swear to destroy the enemy” by Cai Binglu; the back carries “Wash away shame” by Zhuang Chengbo; the left side features “Old and new grudges” by Lü Chenxin; and the right side displays “Blood and tears shed over Aocheng” by Li Zhenguang. The body is square and pyramid-shaped, with all four sides inscribed in clerical script with the text “A Brief Account of the Wokou Calamity That Struck Our Town on July 16.” The full text contains 372 characters, recounting the atrocities committed by Japanese invaders when they attacked Yongning on July 16, 1940, and ravaged thirteen villages.

Source: Party History Research Office of Hui’an County Committee