Ruijin Red Army Martyrs' Memorial Tower

Ruijin Red Army Martyrs' Memorial Tower

The Ruijin Red Army Martyrs' Memorial Tower is a cultural tourism attraction and a classic site of red tourism.

The Red Army Martyrs' Memorial Tower stands 13 meters tall, with its shell-shaped body covered in small stones, symbolizing the unity of countless revolutionary martyrs. The base is pentagonal, with ten inscribed stone tablets embedded around it, including calligraphic inscriptions from leaders such as Mao Zedong, [redacted], [redacted], Bo Gu, Xiang Ying, Luo Fu, Wang Jiaxiang, Kai Feng, and Deng Fa, as well as the tower’s commemorative plaque. In front of the tower, the ground is paved with coal cinders forming eight bold characters: “March Forward on the Bloodstains of the Martyrs,” creating a complete visual composition with the memorial tower that expresses the profound reverence and remembrance of the people in the Soviet Area for the martyrs.

The Red Army Martyrs' Memorial Tower was built by the Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic to honor the martyrs and perpetually commemorate the brave Red Army officers and soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the revolutionary wars over the years. Its construction was decided at the 45th meeting of the Central People's Committee on July 11, 1933. It was designed by Qian Zhuangfei, with Liang Botai serving as the engineering supervisor.

In October 1934, after the main force of the Red Army embarked on the Long March, the Red Army Martyrs' Memorial Tower was demolished by the enemy. Amid grief and anger, local residents risked their lives to salvage the only intact character “Martyr” (烈) from the tower and hid it in their homes until the liberation of China. To restore the historical site, the memorial tower was reconstructed on its original site in 1955 according to its original appearance, and it was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1961.

Every year during Qingming Festival, students come to pay tribute, and when central leaders visit Ruijin, the first thing they do is lay wreaths at the martyrs’ tower to express their reverence. Indeed, every stone in the tower embodies the spirit of the martyrs and records the touching stories of how the people of the Soviet Area made selfless sacrifices and shed blood for the victory of the Chinese revolution. Mr. Yang Rongxian from Shazhouba, Ruijin, had eight sons. During the fiercest period of the Fifth Encirclement Campaign, he resolutely responded to the government’s call to expand the Red Army and sent all eight of them to join. Tragically, none of the eight sons survived; they all died on the battlefield. When Mr. Yang Rongxian passed away, not a single son was there to see him off. What sorrow, what heroism that was. The people of the Soviet Area made enormous sacrifices and contributions for the Soviet Republic. At that time, Ruijin County had a population of just 240,000, yet 49,000 joined the Red Army — almost all able-bodied young men, even boys aged 14 or 15 became “Little Red Devils” joining the revolutionary ranks. Among them, 17,166 named martyrs gave their lives for the revolution. After the Red Army’s Long March, the people of Ruijin suffered brutal retaliation from the enemy, with arbitrary arrests and killings of families of Red Army soldiers and ordinary civilians. Many areas became “blood-soaked villages” or “ghost villages.” “The population of Ruijin County was nearly halved,” as the devastation was described in a report: “No houses left unburned, no trees left uncut, no chickens or dogs left alive, no able-bodied men remaining, no smoke from kitchen chimneys, and only the wailing of ghosts in the fields.” From the time of the Red Army’s Long March in 1934 until the region’s liberation in 1949 — about 15 years — Ruijin’s population experienced continuous negative growth.

The Red Army Martyrs' Memorial Tower is a spiritual monument forged from the blood of revolutionary martyrs, and it will forever shine brilliantly in the hearts of the people.

Location of the Attraction

Yangxi Village, Yeping Township, Ruijin City, Jiangxi Province

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