Hejian Central Hebei Martyrs' Cemetery

Hejian Central Hebei Martyrs' Cemetery

The Central Hebei Martyrs' Cemetery is a classic red tourism destination.

The Central Hebei Martyrs' Cemetery is located on Shuguang West Road in Hejian City, with its main entrance facing north. The six large Chinese characters “Central Hebei Martyrs’ Cemetery” on the east side of the gate were inscribed by Comrade —, then a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Facing the main entrance is the cemetery square, with the memorial hall situated to the south of the square. At the southern end of the cemetery lies the Tomb of the Unknown Martyrs. Along the central axis between the memorial hall and the Tomb of the Unknown Martyrs stands the 11-meter-high Central Hebei Revolutionary Martyrs Monument, faced with granite. The cemetery is planted with evergreen pines, towering cypresses, and gracefully leafy poplars and willows. Lush green lawns and clusters of blooming flowers adorn the cemetery, lending it a solemn and respectful atmosphere.

The Central Hebei region was a provincial (regional)-level administrative unit established during the War of Resistance Against Japan in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Border Region. It was a base area behind enemy lines in North China created by the Eighth Route Army under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. After the victory of the war, the Central Hebei region expanded to include 51 counties (cities), spanning from the Bohai Sea in the east, to the Beiping-Hankou Railway in the west, the Fuyang River in the south, and bordering Beijing and Tianjin in the north.

The people of Central Hebei have a glorious revolutionary tradition. Countless martyrs gave their precious lives in resisting foreign aggression and fighting for the liberation of the Chinese people. They advanced wave upon wave, dared to struggle, feared no sacrifice, and composed heroic hymns of blood and fire.

The Central Hebei Revolutionary Martyrs Memorial Hall, built within the Poetry and Rites Cemetery, covers an area of 500 square meters and features 65 linear meters of exhibition display cases. It systematically presents the great spirit and glorious history of the Central Hebei military and civilians who fought bravely and sacrificed their lives for national liberation—from the Agrarian Revolutionary period, through the eight-year War of Resistance, to the three-year Liberation War—on the battlefields of southern Beijing. The hall commemorates the names of 2,882 martyrs, including 1,884 from the War of Resistance period and 806 from the Liberation War period. Commander Chang Deshan of the Eighth Sub-district of Central Hebei died a heroic death on this land. The memorial hall houses a marble statue of Commander Chang Deshan, sculpted by the renowned Chinese sculptor Liu Kaiqu.

Commander Chang Deshan was originally from Yixian County, Shandong Province. Coming from a poor family, he joined the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army at the age of 17 in 1929 and joined the Communist Party of China the same year. He followed He Long in establishing the revolutionary bases of “Xiang-E Border,” “Xiang-E-Xi,” and “Xiang-E-Chuan-Qian,” participated in the Long March, and held positions such as platoon leader, company commander, guard company commander, battalion commander, regimental commander, and division chief of staff. For a long time, he was responsible for He Long’s personal security, often risking his own life to protect him in critical moments, earning He Long’s deep trust and praise. He Long once said on many occasions, “Without Chang Deshan, there would be no He Long.” In January 1939, Chang Deshan followed He Long to the Central Hebei Anti-Japanese Base Area, where he successively served as commander of the Third and Eighth Sub-districts of Central Hebei. In June 1942, during the battle to crush the Japanese “major mopping-up” campaign, he was encircled by dozens of times more enemy and puppet troops in Xuecun, Suning County. Although he commanded his troops to fight fiercely, they were ultimately outnumbered. He was fatally shot 27 times. The inhumane enemy also cut off his head and hung it on the city wall of southern Hejian as a warning. Commander Chang Deshan was only 30 years old when he died. In August 1962, Marshal He Long, still grieving over the loss of his beloved subordinate, wrote an epitaph for Martyr Chang Deshan 20 years later.

On June 7, 1993, under the deep concern of revolutionary veterans such as Yang Chengwu, Lü Zhengcao, and Luo Yuchuan, the Ministry of Civil Affairs issued an approval to expand the Hejian Martyrs' Cemetery, originally built in 1956, into the “Central Hebei Martyrs' Cemetery.” Veterans who had fought or worked in Central Hebei, such as Liao Hansheng, Sun Yi, Huang Xinting, Yang Xiushan, and Lü Zhengcao, inscribed the names of the cemetery, the hall, the monument, and the Tomb of the Unknown Martyrs. On April 5, 1999, Qingming Festival, the memorial hall of the Central Hebei Martyrs' Cemetery was officially opened to the public.