The Great Wall Anti-Japanese War Martyrs' Cemetery

The Great Wall Anti-Japanese War Martyrs' Cemetery

The Great Wall Anti-Japanese War Martyrs' Cemetery is a cultural relic protection unit of Tangshan City.

The Twenty-Ninth Army Anti-Japanese (Great Wall Anti-Japanese War) Martyrs' Cemetery is located in Shimen Town, 25 kilometers west of Zunhua City, adjacent to the Bangkuan Highway. The cemetery faces south and covers an area of 58.5 mu. It is said that the bricks, tiles, and timber used for the original cemetery were sourced from the Fu Heng Tomb in Jixian County. A large horizontal plaque once hung above the main gate, inscribed with ten one-foot-square characters reading “Martyrs’ Cemetery of the Twenty-Ninth Army Anti-Japanese War,” which was destroyed by the Japanese in 1937. Inside, there were 10 tile-roofed houses dedicated to accommodating the families of martyrs during their visits for tomb-sweeping, as well as for office use.

There are 280 individual graves of soldiers buried within (later, 18 remains of officers were transferred to Nanjing, and some have been relocated since). Among the martyrs were Staff Officer Deng Zhichang, who died of anger upon learning of the Tanggu Agreement; Tai Yongxiang, son of Shanxi Commander Tai Shoushan at the time; Qi Deyan, a descendant of the famous anti-Wokou general Qi Jiguang; and Yin Liangmin (then a platoon leader), a comrade of Zhang Ying from Xiaoyinzhuang, Funing County, Jiangsu Province.

On the north side of the cemetery lies a large mass grave, approximately two meters in diameter and 2.4 meters high, containing 36 sacks of incomplete remains (legend has it that a regimental commander’s limbs were among them), collected from areas such as Lengkou, Xifengkou, and Luowenyu.

The stele of the large mass grave remains intact on-site. It stands 2.4 meters high, 0.8 meters wide, and about 0.3 meters thick. The reverse side of the stele is blank. The inscription on the Monument to the Fallen Soldiers reads: The horizontal tablet reads “Immortalized Forever”; the upper inscription states “Erected by the Beiping Branch of the National Military Commission”; the central text reads “Monument to the Fallen Soldiers”; and the lower inscription states “Supervised by Zhang Tonglin and Wang Xingmin, April of the 24th Year of the Republic of China.”

In the courtyard of this cemetery, there are also two newly erected memorial steles, both funded by descendants of former Northwest Army generals. One stele features an inscription on the front: “Introduction to the Great Wall Anti-Japanese War Martyrs’ Cemetery in Zunhua,” and on the back: “A Brief History of the 29th Army of the Chinese Army in the Great Wall Anti-Japanese War.” The other stele bears ten powerful characters personally written by General Song Zheyuan, former commander of the 29th Route Army: “Better to die in battle than live as a slave.” These words express the indomitable spirit and deep patriotism of all soldiers of the 29th Route Army, led by General Song Zheyuan.