Dezhou Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery

Dezhou Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery

The Dezhou Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery is a cultural tourism attraction, a classic red tourism destination, a patriotic education base, and a national defense education base.

The Dezhou Municipal Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery was established in 1988. It was formerly known as the Martyrs' Cemetery of the former Dezhou City (now Decheng District). After the region was upgraded to a prefecture-level city in 1995, it came under the administration of the Dezhou Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau. In 2004, it was relocated to its current site (No. 8 Hucang Road, Decheng District). The cemetery is the final resting place of 83 named martyrs and more than 350 unnamed martyrs. In 1990, it was designated as a Provincial-Level Revolutionary Martyrs’ Memorial Building Protection Unit by the Shandong Provincial People’s Government. In 1995, it was named a “Shandong Provincial Patriotic Education Base.” In 2004, it was designated as a “Provincial-Level National Defense Education Base” by the provincial government, and in 2007, it was named a “Shandong Provincial Party Member Education Base” by the Provincial Party Committee Organization Department. The municipal martyrs' cemetery covers an area of 160 mu, with over 100 varieties and tens of thousands of flowers and trees planted, resulting in a green coverage of over 60%. Major facilities include: a 5,000-square-meter memorial square that can accommodate nearly 10,000 people; the People’s Heroes Monument, which stands 46 meters high (symbolizing Dezhou’s liberation in 1946); the 1,200-square-meter People’s Heroes Memorial Hall; the martyrs’ tomb area where 83 named martyrs are buried; the Martyrs’ Roll of Honor wall, which engraves the names of 19,525 martyrs from various periods who sacrificed their lives across the city; and the Unnamed Martyrs’ Memorial Park, which collectively buries more than 350 unnamed martyrs from the city.

The municipal martyrs' cemetery shoulders the important responsibility of providing patriotic, national defense, and revolutionary tradition education to 700,000 residents in three districts (Decheng District, Economic Development Zone, and Canal Economic Development Zone), as well as to students at all levels of schools. Since its completion in April 2004, it has received approximately 100 batches and over 10,000 visitors from all walks of life for commemorative visits each year. This year, it has already welcomed more than 30 batches and over 5,000 visitors, including party and government officials, primary, secondary, and university students, employees, families of martyrs, and people from all sectors of society for commemorative activities.

In recent years, the municipal martyrs' cemetery has been committed to building a service brand of “Sincere Commendation, Comforting the Martyrs, Strengthening the Nation,” continuously strengthening service awareness, improving service quality, and taking multiple measures to promote the in-depth development of martyrs’ commemoration work.

(1) Strengthen internal management and improve work efficiency. First, enhance education to strengthen staff service awareness. Political and professional studies are conducted every Friday afternoon, and advanced regional experiences are learned through bringing in experts and going out for field studies. Second, improve systems to promote standardized work. The first-inquiry responsibility system is fully implemented to provide seamless, one-stop services; government transparency is enhanced by displaying the unit’s responsibilities, service scope, supervision hotline, as well as photos, names, positions, and duties of staff members in prominent locations for public oversight; job objectives are detailed, responsibilities are clarified, a comprehensive 100-point assessment system is fully implemented, and a sound service system is established. Third, provide sincere services and uphold a people-oriented philosophy. The service commitment of “answering every question, responding to every request, and helping with every difficulty” is earnestly practiced. Reasonable requests from all sectors of society and families of martyrs are responded to and handled within a set timeframe, while less reasonable requests are patiently explained with clear communication of policies and regulations to gain understanding. On every national statutory and traditional memorial day, floral tributes are placed at each martyr’s tomb to express condolences.

(2) Improve infrastructure and enhance construction and maintenance standards. In recent years, with the high attention of the municipal Party committee and government and strong support from the Provincial Department of Civil Affairs, funding for the municipal martyrs' cemetery has continued to increase, and infrastructure has been increasingly improved. In 2011, on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party, over 2 million yuan was invested to relocate the remains of more than 350 unnamed martyrs buried across the city to the municipal martyrs' cemetery, where the Unnamed Martyrs’ Memorial Park was built. In August 2013, 300,000 yuan was invested to relocate and bury the remains of 63 martyrs from the “three districts” (Decheng District, Economic Development Zone, and Canal Economic Development Zone) in the municipal martyrs' cemetery for centralized management. In July 2015, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the War of Resistance Against Japan, over 500,000 yuan was invested to maintain and renovate the People’s Heroes Memorial Hall, adjusting and enriching the exhibited images and items. In March this year, 690,000 yuan was invested to upgrade and transform the Unnamed Martyrs’ Memorial Park, which is now largely completed. Projects such as the transformation of the martyrs' cemetery entrance and the adjustment of the second-floor exhibition layout of the People’s Heroes Memorial Hall are currently in the planning and design stage.

(3) Build educational platforms and carry out martyrs’ commendation work. During important holidays and memorial days such as Qingming Festival, Youth Day, Party Founding Day, National Day, and Martyrs’ Memorial Day, the following key measures have been taken to organize and receive visits from all sectors of society to commemorate revolutionary martyrs: First, existing personnel are reasonably assigned with clear responsibilities and mutual cooperation. Second, facility and personnel safety is ensured by conducting advance inspections and maintenance of electrical circuits, appliances, and firefighting equipment, formulating emergency plans to prevent potential issues; third, venues are carefully arranged by making slogans and banners, placing fresh flowers and green plants, and installing audio equipment to enhance the atmosphere; fourth, sanitation and cleaning are well managed by sweeping and then washing areas such as the martyrs’ tomb area, memorial square, People’s Heroes Memorial Hall, unnamed martyrs’ tomb area, and Martyrs’ Roll of Honor wall to maintain a clean environment; fifth, the “Dezhou Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetery” website has been established and launched, featuring eight sections including news updates, martyrs’ stories, historical events, policies and regulations, and online commemoration, providing a new platform for promoting the deeds of martyrs and fostering patriotism, as well as a new space for the public to mourn martyrs and commemorate loved ones.