Tengzhou Martyrs' Cemetery

Tengzhou Martyrs' Cemetery

Tengzhou Martyrs' Cemetery is a national classic red tourism destination and a national defense education base.

Tengzhou Martyrs' Cemetery is located on Ren Mountain in Dawu Town, Tengzhou City. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, Tengzhou (formerly known as Teng County) was a major battleground against Japanese forces. It was the site of the famous Battle of Teng County Defense and the Southern Shandong People's Anti-Japanese Armed Uprising. On March 15, 1938, over 30,000 Japanese troops, supported by artillery and aircraft, advanced southward along the Jinpu Railway to invade Teng County. Wang Mingzhang, commander of the 122nd Division of the National Revolutionary Army’s 51st Army, led over 4,000 Sichuan troops in defending Teng County. After three days and nights of fierce fighting, they were all martyred. Li Zongren once highly praised, "Without the bitter defense of Teng County, there would have been no great victory at Taierzhuang." On May 21, 1938, the Teng County Special Branch of the Communist Party of China held the Southern Shandong People's Anti-Japanese Armed Uprising in Nantang, Teng County, establishing the Southern Shandong People's Anti-Japanese Volunteer Brigade, which was later incorporated into the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army. To commemorate the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the Battle of Teng County Defense and the Southern Shandong People's Anti-Japanese Armed Uprising, the Teng County Martyrs' Cemetery was first built in 1962 and renamed Tengzhou Martyrs' Cemetery in 1985. The cemetery covers an area of 414,000 square meters, with a construction area of 12,000 square meters. It includes the Memorial Hall of the Southern Shandong People's Anti-Japanese Armed Uprising, the Monument to the Southern Shandong People's Anti-Japanese Armed Uprising, monuments and pavilions dedicated to notable martyrs, the Martyrs' Garden, and a large-scale military equipment plaza. The cemetery is a national-level war memorial facility, a provincial-level martyrs' memorial facility protection unit in Shandong Province, an anti-corruption and integrity education base in Shandong Province, and a national defense education base in Shandong Province.