Minqing County Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery

Minqing County Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery

The Minqing County Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery is a classic red tourism attraction.

The Minqing County Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery was built in September 1963 and is located on the banks of the Meixi River in Yangtao Village, Meicheng Town. It covers an area of 6,200 square meters, of which the martyrs' tombs occupy 215 square meters. The cemetery is situated atop a small hill, built on a three-tiered stone foundation, with a square-column-shaped revolutionary martyrs' memorial stele standing upright in the center. The stele is 10 meters high, topped with a five-pointed red star, and bears the eight gold-inked characters “Revolutionary Martyrs Live Forever” on the front. Both the cemetery and the stele are finished with terrazzo, and each tier of the foundation is equipped with railings. Seventy layers of concrete steps lead from the hillside to the cemetery gate. A brick wall surrounds the entire site, within which lush pines, cypresses, and seasonal flowers and plants are planted. The cemetery houses the remains of 262 revolutionary martyrs who sacrificed their lives before and during the early years of the founding of New China (including 2 female martyrs)—58 who died during the War of Resistance Against Japan and the Liberation War, 10 who died in the Korean War, 21 who were killed in anti-bandit operations in the early years of New China, and 163 who died from wounds sustained in battle and later succumbed despite treatment at the Third Rescue Station of the East China Field Hospital (located in Liudu, Minqing). Their places of origin are as follows: 45 from Minqing County, 19 from other counties within the province such as Ningde, Jian’ou, Yunxiao, Fu’an, Minhou, Yongtai, Jianning, Putian, Zhao’an, Nanjing, and Fuding, and 150 from other provinces including Guangxi, Guangdong, Shanxi, Shandong, Anhui, Sichuan, Hubei, Henan, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi. There are also 42 whose names are known but not their places of origin, and 6 unidentified martyrs. During China’s New Democratic Revolution, the industrious, intelligent, and revolutionary-minded people of Minqing closely followed the Chinese Communist Party, persisting in the struggle against imperialism and feudalism. They fought unyieldingly and continuously, with countless outstanding sons and daughters of Minqing sacrificing their lives on the battlefield for national independence and people's liberation. At the same time, many outstanding individuals from all over the country joined the fight against reactionary forces in Minqing, with many giving their lives on Minqing soil.

Meicheng Town: Located at the confluence of the Meixi River outlet and the Min River. During the Republican era, Meicheng was a small mountain town with a population of less than a thousand. It had only two umbrella factories, one cast-iron pot workshop, one rice mill, and a small 12-kilowatt thermal power plant, employing just over 100 workers. The town had six streets (Zhongjie, Shizihengjie, Shizizhijie, Ximenjie, Futoujie, Banjie), four alleys (Tiquanxiang, Huyuanxiang, Anminxiang, Mafangxiang), one elevated area (Chengding), and one road (Yancangdao), most of which were dirt roads—“no wind, three feet of dust; with rain, a muddy street.”

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, developments such as Nanshan... More detailed information about Meicheng Town++