Huaziling Martyrs' Cemetery

Huaziling Martyrs' Cemetery

Huaziling Martyrs' Cemetery is a cultural tourism attraction and a classic red tourism site.

Huaziling Martyrs' Cemetery is located about 4 kilometers southwest of the former Yanchi area, now within the territory of Shangquan Village. Surrounded by mountains on all sides, with steep cliffs to the west and dense foliage, the hill in front is said to be named after a person called "Huazi" (Beggar) who was buried there.

Between August and September 1946, Ye Yun, commander of the guerrilla detachment of the New Fourth Army in the Northern Mountain area of Central China, following instructions from the former Jianghan District Party Committee to expand the liberated areas by establishing bases and creating several "rest stops" on the periphery of the Northern Mountain base, led a group of armed personnel to open up a northwest base in areas such as Lixi and Yongsheng. This was done to mobilize the masses more extensively to support the army, gather supplies for passing troops, and coordinate actions with the main forces in Northwest Hubei. With the cooperation of the underground Communist Party organization in Northern Jing, Ye Yun’s guerrilla team mobilized the masses, gathered strength, carried out underground work, won over influential figures, eliminated parts of the armed forces of the Nationalist Party’s Lixi and Yongsheng township offices, suppressed local tyrants, established a small base area in Lixi, set up the Yan-Yong Central Township in Yongsheng, and opened up the Western Mountain Base. This base echoed the Northern Mountain area, providing strategic flexibility for the continued struggle there and creating a favorable situation following the Central Plains Breakout.

The development of the Western Mountain Base angered the brutal enemy, who assembled heavy forces to conduct a sweeping encirclement and suppression of the base. Ye Yun’s guerrilla team skillfully maneuvered around the enemy, striking unexpectedly and inflicting heavy blows on the encircling forces time and again, striking fear into the hearts of the enemy.

After the liberation, local residents collected the martyrs’ remains bit by bit and reburied them together in a flat area halfway up Huaziling Mountain, where they built a simple tomb with mountain stones. Every year on Tomb-Sweeping Day, elementary and middle school students from dozens of miles around, wearing white flowers and carrying flower wreaths, would come in groups to Huaziling to pay their respects at the martyrs’ cemetery and listen to the stories of the battles fought there. The heroic deeds of the revolutionary martyrs inspired future generations to carry on their legacy, cherish today’s happy life, study hard, strive for self-improvement, and pledge to become successors to the communist cause. To establish a solid moral education base and promote traditional education, in the spring of 1994, Zhong Shoupǔ, then principal of Yongsheng Primary School, organized over 800 teachers and students from eight primary schools in the Yongsheng educational district to donate more than 900 yuan. They purchased cement, hired masons, and personally participated in rebuilding Huaziling Martyrs' Cemetery. Zhong also personally erected a monument for the revolutionary martyrs and planted lush pines and cypresses around the site. This activity received strong recognition from city and district leaders, and Huaziling Martyrs' Cemetery was designated as a Dongbao District moral education base.

The current state of Huaziling Martyrs' Cemetery is very simple and somewhat shabby, with inconvenient and steep access that poses great difficulty for later generations to pay tribute to the martyrs. To develop it into a moral education base of certain scale and value within our district, it is essential to rebuild Huaziling Martyrs' Cemetery into a relatively complete mid-level martyrs' cemetery. This will serve to educate future generations on worldviews, outlooks on life and values, and communist beliefs, reminding them not to forget the past, the hardships of founding the nation, or the difficulty of achieving happiness. They should carry on the martyrs’ legacy, promote the revolutionary spirit, live up to the martyrs’ hopes, work diligently, study hard, and keep forging ahead, thereby inspiring noble sentiments of love for the motherland and hometown. Huaziling Martyrs' Cemetery covers an area of approximately 3 mu (including the martyrs’ memorial monument, the martyrs’ biography exhibition hall, and a parking lot), requiring an investment of 200,000 yuan. The construction of the road from Yanchi to the cemetery will cost about 200,000 yuan. Once completed, this martyrs’ cemetery can serve as another attraction in the Xianghe Scenic Tourism Area, allowing visitors to pay their respects, lay flowers, and honor the martyrs. Its economic benefits are evident, and its social benefits are immeasurable.

Source: Dongbao District Government