Tomb of the 62 Martyrs of Houtianzhuang

Tomb of the 62 Martyrs of Houtianzhuang

The Tomb of the 62 Martyrs of Houtianzhuang is a cultural relic protection unit of Shandong Province.

The Tomb of the 62 Martyrs is located about 100 meters southeast of Houtianzhuang Village, Donggucheng Town, Guan County.

Houtianzhuang Village is situated on the border between Shandong Province and Hebei Province, playing a highly strategic role during the War of Resistance. In 1938, a Party branch was set up here, and an 11-member guerrilla team called the "Donglin Detachment" was organized. Before long, the detachment grew to over 100 members and was renamed the "Chang’er Detachment." In 1939, it was incorporated into the Weihe Detachment, and in early 1940, it became the 10th Company of the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Regiment of the Eighth Route Army’s Vanguard Column. On February 7, 1940, the 10th Company was ordered to march to Nangong to take part in the battle against the stubborn warlord Shi Yousan’s forces. After 13 days of fierce fighting, as the 10th Company pursued the enemy, they encountered over 3,000 Japanese troops coming from Handan, Hebei Province. The Japanese surrounded the company in a civilian building in Zhao Guanzhai Village, Guantao County. Under the command of instructor Sun Shusheng and company commander Wang Delin, all 62 soldiers fought a bloody battle against the Japanese and puppet troops for a whole day and night, repelling multiple enemy attacks and killing over 100 enemies. The brutal enemy called in airstrikes and set the building on fire. By the 22nd, only 16 soldiers remained. With no ammunition, no food, and no hope of reinforcement, the soldiers smashed their weapons, jumped from the building, and died as martyrs. When news of the 62 soldiers’ martyrdom spread, the Xinhua Daily published articles praising their heroism, and Liu Bocheng, commander of the 129th Division, also commended them. Due to the wartime chaos, the soldiers’ remains were temporarily buried locally.

In 1946, the government renovated the burial site and moved the remains of the 62 martyrs from Zhao Guanzhai to Houtianzhuang Village, Donggucheng Town, where the 10th Company originated. Yu Xiaohong, former director of the Political Department of the 7th Sub-district of Southern Hebei, personally wrote the epitaph detailing the course of the battle.

In 1992, the Tomb of the 62 Martyrs was designated as a county-level cultural relic protection unit. In April 1999, it was further listed as a key cultural relic protection unit of Liaocheng City. During important holidays such as Qingming Festival, many officials and citizens visit to honor the revolutionary martyrs’ achievements and pay tribute to their memory.

On June 23, 2015, the Tomb of the 62 Martyrs of Houtianzhuang was announced by the People’s Government of Shandong Province as part of the fifth batch of provincial-level cultural relic protection units in Shandong.

Donggucheng Town: Located in the westernmost part of Shandong Province, Donggucheng Town faces Guantao County of Hebei Province across the river and serves as the western gateway of Shandong. Covering a total area of 150 square kilometers, with 92,000 mu of arable land, the town administers 84 administrative villages and has a population of 70,000. It was approved as a central town by the provincial government in 1999. The Handan–Jinan Railway, the Jinan–Liaocheng–Guantao Expressway, National Highways 106 and 306, and Provincial Highway 008 intersect within the town, making transportation convenient. The town is known for its high-quality garlic and specialty fruits. The starch noodle processing industry, chemical industry, and casting industry are its leading economic sectors.

Garlic cultivation has been practiced in the town for decades... More details about Donggucheng Town++

Further reading:

· Fifth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units in Shandong Province