Site of the May 3rd Tragedy

Site of the May 3rd Tragedy

The Site of the May 3rd Tragedy is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit and a patriotic education base.

The Jinan Massacre is also known as the May 3rd Tragedy. During the Second Northern Expedition, Japan feared that once China was unified, it would no longer tolerate their unchecked aggression, so they did everything in their power to obstruct the expedition. Under the pretext of protecting their nationals, Japan deployed troops to Jinan, Qingdao, and along the Jiaoji Railway. In 1928, the National Revolutionary Army recaptured Jinan on May 1st, and on May 3rd, Japanese forces invaded the Shandong Provincial Office established by the Chinese government. They severed the ears and nose of the negotiator Cai Gongshi, then killed him, murdered all the staff of the office, and set fire to and looted the premises. In this incident, over 17,000 Chinese officials and civilians were burned or killed, more than 2,000 were injured, and over 5,000 were captured. On May 3, 2012, sirens wailed in Jinan, Shandong, to commemorate the 84th anniversary of the tragedy.

May 3rd Tragedy Memorial Park

On December 25, 1926, Emperor Taisho passed away, and Hirohito ascended the throne as the Showa Emperor. The name was derived from China’s *Book of Documents – Canon of Yao*: “The people are enlightened, and all nations are in harmony.” In March 1927, shortly after his ascension, the “Showa Financial Crisis” occurred, marking the end of a stable period. Starting on March 15, a wave of bank closures, withdrawals, and bankruptcies swept across the country, with as many as 30 banks shutting down. Financial chaos reached its peak, leading to production stagnation and mass bankruptcies among small and medium-sized enterprises and local industries connected to the economy.

At the height of the financial crisis, Tanaka Giichi, president of the Rikken Seiyukai (Friends of Constitutional Government Party), succeeded Wakatsuki Reijiro as prime minister. After taking office on April 20, 1927, Tanaka’s cabinet first implemented inflationary measures, shifting the burden onto the people to protect the interests of the big bourgeoisie. The government allocated 500 million yen in subsidies to Japanese banks, accelerating the concentration of banking capital and helping the monopolistic bourgeoisie weather the crisis. Later, he convened the “Eastern Conference,” formulating strategic guidelines for aggression against China and pursuing an “active intervention policy” aimed at separating Northeast China and Inner Mongolia from China for occupation by the Japanese Empire. Tanaka also accelerated actions against China by announcing the doubling of the North China Garrison Force.

In 1926, Chiang Kai-shek led the Northern Expedition, first defeating Wu Peifu’s forces in the regions of Hubei and Hunan, then advancing against Sun Chuanfang’s army in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. After Sun Chuanfang’s forces retreated, on March 24, 1927, the Northern Expeditionary Army (led by He Yingqin’s First Army) entered the capital, Nanjing. Some soldiers, driven by hatred for imperialism, looted, burned, and attacked foreign consulates, residences of foreigners, and churches. Six foreigners from Britain, the United States, France, and Italy were killed. Officials at the Japanese consulate were also beaten by Chinese soldiers. This incident became known as the “Nanjing Incident.” Subsequently, Britain and the United States dispatched warships (on the Yangtze River) to shell Nanjing, killing approximately 2,000 residents. Following this, Chiang Kai-shek launched the “Purge of the Party.” However, the purge also faced strong opposition within the Kuomintang. On August 12, 1927, Chiang Kai-shek announced his resignation.

After reassuming the position of commander-in-chief of the National Revolutionary Army in January 1928, Chiang Kai-shek frequently signaled his intentions to the United States, portraying the “Nanjing Incident” — where U.S. and British imperialism shelled Nanjing, killing and injuring over 2,000 people — as being instigated by communists. He acknowledged that the U.S. and Britain had “no choice but to shell Nanjing to protect their nationals.” In doing so, Chiang removed diplomatic obstacles with the U.S. and Britain. The resolution of the “Nanjing Incident” marked the alignment of Chiang Kai-shek’s government with U.S. and British imperialism. With American support, in April 1928, the Kuomintang launched the Second Northern Expedition. Chiang Kai-shek’s forces achieved successive victories and quickly advanced into Shandong Province. On April 19, 1928, the Tanaka Cabinet dispatched 5,000 troops from the Sixth Division to land in Qingdao, moving through Qingdao and key points along the Jiaoji Railway to “protect imperial subjects.”

At the time, the Fengtian warlord Zhang Zongchang occupied Jinan. Seeing Chiang Kai-shek’s Northern Expeditionary Army advancing into Shandong, Zhang sent his chief of staff, Jin Shouliang, to Qingdao to request urgent Japanese reinforcements. After occupying Qingdao, Lieutenant General Fukuda Hikosuke, commander of the Sixth Division, was looking for an excuse to advance into Jinan. Upon learning of Zhang Zongchang’s plea, he readily agreed to drive out the Northern Expeditionary Army and disrupt the revolutionary army’s rear, but demanded that Qingdao, Jinan, Longkou, and Yantai be placed under Japanese military “defense.” Desperate to protect his territory, Zhang Zongchang agreed to all the Japanese demands. Fukuda Hikosuke also received instructions from Japanese Prime Minister Tanaka Giichi to seize Jinan, so on April 25, he sent advance troops toward Jinan.

The Japanese invaders, led by Zhang Zongchang, entered Jinan and occupied sites such as the Jinan Hospital and the Jinan Newspaper Office. They built sandbag fortifications and set up electrified wire barriers, forbidding Chinese access. The “Dog Meat General” was unaware of the invaders’ sinister motives and instead believed the Japanese were “friendly,” inviting Fukuda Hikosuke and his officers to a banquet and having his concubines wait on them. As the guests drank and celebrated, Chief of Staff Jin Shouliang suddenly reported that the Northern Expeditionary Army had captured Wande, the gateway to Jinan, and that the Jiaoji Railway had been cut off.

Zhang Zongchang was terrified and urgently sought help from Fukuda Hikosuke, who sneered and replied, “The Imperial Japanese Army is only responsible for defending its stationed area and does not interfere in China’s internal affairs!” Not only did he refuse to assist Zhang, but he also flirted shamelessly with the Dog Meat General’s fourth concubine. Enraged, Zhang wanted to curse but dared not offend the Japanese. Instead, he recited his own poem, *Song of the Great Wind*, to vent his frustration: “When cannons roar, the world trembles; with might over the land, I return home; how I wish for a great whale to swallow Japan!” Chief of Staff Jin Shouliang, torn between laughter and tears, urged him, “Marshal, we can’t swallow Japan now—the Northern Expeditionary Army has entered Jinan. I think it’s better to flee to Japan!” Seeing the dire situation, Zhang hastily ended the banquet, ordered his family to pack their valuables, and fled Jinan overnight with his fourth concubine in a car flying the Japanese flag, eventually escaping to Japan via Dalian. With Zhang Zongchang gone, the Northern Expeditionary Army occupied Jinan on May 1st and appointed Cai Gongshi, director of the Diplomatic Office of the Field Government Committee, as the special commissioner for Shandong to handle negotiations with the Japanese consulate in Jinan.

After the Kuomintang authorities took over Jinan, they repeatedly stated their commitment to protecting foreign nationals and demanded that the Japanese government withdraw its troops. Later, Chiang Kai-shek inspected the military situation in Jinan and discovered that Japanese forces had built defensive fortifications at many intersections, adopting a combat-ready stance with loaded weapons. He also found Japanese leaflets scattered everywhere, signed by the “Japanese Nationals Volunteer Corps,” which read: “Jinan is a mixed area of Chinese and foreigners. With the front lines shrinking, any unrest causes panic among civilians. While the Japanese Army is here to protect Japanese nationals, Japanese nationals are interspersed among the Chinese, so protection must extend to both. This is standard procedure. Recently, stores like the Japanese-owned Man’yago on Weishi 11th Road, the Japanese-owned Shandong Warehouse Company on Dalu Road, the aviation facility on Erma Road, and the manufacturing department at the headquarters on Weishi 11th Road were looted by thugs. When the Japanese Army intervened, some thugs were mistakenly killed—an unfortunate event. The Japanese Army does not fire warning shots or issue empty threats. Whether Chinese or foreign troublemakers, those approaching areas guarded by the Japanese Army without prior expressions of goodwill will be shot without mercy. This is hereby announced.” Cai Gongshi angrily remarked, “Jinan’s commercial district is Chinese territory. For Japan to openly claim protection reveals their sinister ambitions!” Chiang Kai-shek looked displeased and asked, “What do the leaflets mean by ‘thugs mistakenly killed’?” Cai Gongshi replied, “This morning, a starving man named Song Zhanguang took some food from a Chinese-run food factory on Weishi 11th Road and was shot dead by Japanese soldiers!” Enraged, Chiang told Cai Gongshi, “Ask the Japanese consul in Jinan to come to headquarters for talks.” The next day, May 2, Japanese Consul in Jinan Nishida Kenichi and Japanese military officers arrived as invited. After pleasantries, Chiang directly stated, “Your troops are building defensive fortifications in Jinan’s urban areas, provoking strong resentment among our people and risking conflict. To prevent accidents, please remove all fortifications first.” Consul Nishida Kenichi immediately agreed, saying, “Your Excellency makes a valid point. Our troops will comply at once.” That evening, the Japanese defenses built on Jinan’s roads were swiftly dismantled, troops withdrew to their original positions, and Japanese patrol vehicles disappeared from the city.

Overjoyed, Chiang Kai-shek believed the Japanese had shown him great respect, unaware that Japan already regarded Manchuria as its second homeland and Shandong as a second Manchuria. To implement the Second Shandong Expedition plan decided by the Japanese Cabinet, Sixth Division Commander Fukuda and Eleventh Brigade Commander Saito repeatedly conspired, pretending to accept Chiang’s demands to lull him into complacency while meticulously planning the “May 3rd Jinan Massacre.”

On October 7, 2019, the Site of the May 3rd Tragedy was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units