Heze Martyrs' Cemetery

Heze Martyrs' Cemetery

Heze Martyrs' Cemetery is a classic red tourism destination and a patriotic education base.

Heze Martyrs' Cemetery, also known as the Heze Anti-Japanese War Memorial, was established in 1970. Its original location was in the eastern section of Danyang Road in the urban area. On December 31, 2015, it was renamed Heze Martyrs' Cemetery (Anti-Japanese War Memorial). Over the years, with the high attention and strong support of the Heze Municipal Party Committee, the municipal government, and the people of the entire city, since 2008, despite financial constraints, the Heze municipal government has included the maintenance, renovation, and daily management expenses of the cemetery memorial facilities in the fiscal budget, maintaining an annual increase to ensure the smooth implementation of the cemetery's upgrading and renovation projects. In May 2009, the municipal government approved the relocation and reconstruction of the martyrs' cemetery (Heze Government Approval [2009] No. 36), listing it as one of that year’s “Top Ten Urban Key Projects.” In February 2010, construction of the new cemetery officially began and was completed within a year, achieving a full relocation.

In 2011, during the Qingming Festival, a grand ceremony was held to mark the completion and opening of the new martyrs' cemetery. The relocated cemetery, as part of a suburban park, had a total investment of over 30 million yuan, covering an area of 88.6 acres with a built-up area of 6,500 square meters. It includes a Heroes' Memorial Square, a Martyrs' Memorial Hall, bronze statues of notable martyrs, a martyrs' tomb complex, office buildings, and landscaped roads within the park, along with green spaces covering 28,000 square meters and nearly 1,500 trees of around 30 species, including cedar and large dragon juniper. In March 2014, to further enhance the commemoration of martyrs, we secured over 20 million yuan in funding to expand, renovate, and upgrade the cemetery. It was divided into areas for paying tribute, leisure, and martyr burials. Among these, the Heroes’ Square spans over 6,000 square meters and features personalized sculptures of 20 notable martyrs; the Spirit of Heroes Plaza covers 10,000 square meters, with the Martyrs’ Spirit Hall situated in the center, covering a built-up area of 4,200 square meters. At the front stands the Monument to the People’s Heroes Eternal, while on the east and west sides of the hall are four bronze statues of notable martyrs. Behind the hall are stone sculpture groups depicting "Heroes of Red Crag" and "Loyal Souls." To the north of the square is the martyrs' burial area, featuring a 5-meter-high, 90-meter-long battle corridor, with eight white marble bas-relief panels on both sides illustrating scenes from eight major battles. The eastern and western burial sections house the remains of 164 named martyrs and 1,852 unnamed martyrs who died in the Shatu Battle and the Dingtao (Dayanghu) Battle. In front of the burial area, there are also two memorials for the Anti-Japanese War and the Korean War, as well as three leisure pavilions providing resting spots for visitors paying tribute. The cemetery has been successively rated as a national and provincial-level martyrs' memorial facility and was designated as a “Shandong Provincial Patriotic Education Base” in 2015.

Further Reading:

· China National Third-Class Museum