Liulisi Martyrs' Cemetery

Liulisi Martyrs' Cemetery

Liulisi Martyrs' Cemetery is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Shandong Province.

Liulisi Martyrs' Cemetery is located in Xumiao Village, east of Liulisi Town, Gaotang County. Since it was built in Xumiao Village, it is also known as Xumiao Martyrs' Cemetery.

In early March 1939, the Party Committee of the Western Shandong Region of the CPC and the Vanguard Column of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army, in accordance with directives from the Northern Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and the 129th Division to establish an anti-Japanese base in the Tai'an Mountainous Area, decided to rely on Dafeng Mountain on the southern bank of the Yellow River and advance southward into the plains to establish an anti-Japanese base east of the Grand Canal.

On March 4, 1939, the headquarters of the Vanguard Column and the Party Committee of the Western Shandong Region set out from Southeast Village, Guan County, passed through the northern part of Tangyi, and arrived at Liulisi and Xulou (both then part of Chiping County) in Gaotang County to rendezvous with the Jinpu Detachment and the 3rd Regiment of the Youth Column. At dawn on the 5th, the Vanguard Column and the Party Committee of the Western Shandong Region arrived at their designated locations on time. The Party Committee of the Western Shandong Region, the Vanguard Column headquarters, part of the 2nd Regiment of the Vanguard Column, and the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Regiment of the Youth Column were stationed in Liulisi Village. The Jinpu Detachment was stationed in Chenying and Wuying, 5 kilometers northeast of Liulisi. Part of the 2nd Regiment of the Vanguard Column was stationed in Niuzhuang west of Liulisi, the headquarters of the 3rd Regiment of the Youth Column and its 3rd Battalion were stationed in Xulou, and its 2nd Battalion was stationed in Haizhuang north of Xulou.

While our Vanguard Column was assembling, the Japanese 104th Division commander Matsumatsu, stationed in Jinan, gathered the Akiyama Brigade from the northern section of the Tianjin-Pukou Railway and allied with enemies in Linqing. Troops moved out from Jinan, Qihe, Yucheng, Liaocheng, and Gaotang, launching a pincer attack toward Liulisi and Xulou.

Shortly after our troops had moved into civilian houses and begun setting up guards, the enemy had already reached the north gate of Liulisi Village, and the battle began immediately. Under the command of Vanguard Column Commander Li Jukui, our forces fought fiercely throughout the day, repelling several enemy assaults, and broke through the encirclement at dusk, retreating southeast toward Dafeng Mountain. During the breakout, over 100 people, including Zhao Yiping, Secretary-General of the Party Committee of the Western Shandong Region, sacrificed heroically.

The Battle of Liulisi was a large-scale engagement fought by the Eighth Route Army in northwestern Shandong after the fall of Liaocheng, and also the largest, longest-lasting, and most intense battle in Gaotang County. In this battle, more than 150 enemies were killed or wounded, six enemy vehicles were destroyed, and the enemy’s attempt to annihilate our anti-Japanese forces in northwestern Shandong was shattered.

After the battle, the remains of the martyrs were buried separately in Xulou, Liulisi, Dalizhuang, and Dasangzhuang. In June 1946, the Chiping County Government and the former Seventh District Anti-Japanese Government of Chiping relocated the martyrs’ remains to Xumiao, built a pavilion and erected a monument at the burial site, thus establishing the martyrs' cemetery. The cemetery faces south and covers an area of approximately 12.34 acres, measuring 100 meters from north to south and 85 meters from east to west. It mainly consists of a memorial hall, burial grounds, and a stele pavilion, with a memorial stele housed inside the pavilion.

The eastern part of the cemetery is the martyrs’ burial ground, which is 39.6 meters long and 29 meters wide, with 48 martyr tombs arranged in rows. About 30 meters north of the burial ground is the Martyrs’ Memorial Hall, which is 17.6 meters long and 6.94 meters wide. Inside the hall are exhibition boards showcasing the heroic deeds of the martyrs and photos of the people commemorating them. Fifteen meters south of the burial ground is the stele pavilion, which is 2.45 meters long, 2.42 meters wide, and about 3.80 meters high. It is built with blue bricks, has a pyramidal roof, doors on all sides, and is covered with green-glazed tiles.

In October 1950, Xumiao Village was incorporated into Gaotang County. In 1990, the Party Committee and government of Liulisi Town, Gaotang County, allocated special funds and, together with donations from local cadres and residents, contributed a total of 120,000 yuan to renovate the memorial hall and burial ground, build a new gate, surrounding walls, and a duty room, and erect a monument in commemoration.

In 1979, Liulisi Martyrs' Cemetery was listed as a key cultural heritage site under the protection of Gaotang County. In April 1999, it was designated as a key cultural heritage site under the protection of Liaocheng City. Many government agencies and enterprises frequently organize party members and aspiring members to visit the cemetery for activities such as renewing their oath of party membership.

On June 23, 2015, Liulisi Martyrs' Cemetery was announced by the People's Government of Shandong Province as part of the fifth batch of provincial-level cultural heritage sites under its protection.

Liulisi Town: Located southeast of Gaotang County, Liulisi Town is 25 kilometers from the county seat and borders Chiping County, Qihe County, and Yucheng City. It covers an area of 94.5 square kilometers, with arable land spanning 85,023 mu. The town administers 7 management areas and 62 administrative villages, with a population of 36,901 and per capita arable land of 2.5 mu. The town government is located east of Liulisi Village, which has served as the seat of district, commune, township, and town governments since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Liulisi Town lies on an alluvial plain, with the Tuhai River to the west and the Sixin River and Guanshi River flowing through the area. The transportation is convenient—the Gaotang Railway Station on the Handan-Jinan Railway is situated here... More details about Liulisi Town++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites in Shandong Province