Site where 25 martyrs from the General Office of Xinhua Daily and the Wuhan Office of the Eighth Route Army sacrificed their lives, and the Martyrs' Cemetery

Site where 25 martyrs from the General Office of Xinhua Daily and the Wuhan Office of the Eighth Route Army sacrificed their lives, and the Martyrs' Cemetery

The site where 25 martyrs from the General Office of Xinhua Daily and the Wuhan Office of the Eighth Route Army sacrificed their lives, and the Martyrs' Cemetery, is a cultural heritage protection unit of Hubei Province and a classic red tourism destination.

Site where 25 martyrs from the General Office of Xinhua Daily and the Wuhan Office of the Eighth Route Army sacrificed their lives, and the Martyrs' Cemetery

It is located on the Dongjiang Riverside in Bianzhou Village, Yanwo Town, Honghu City. In October 1938, as Japanese forces approached Wuhan, staff from the Wuhan Office of the Eighth Route Army and the General Office of Xinhua Daily evacuated the city aboard the ship "Xinshenglong." On the afternoon of October 23, the ship was suddenly bombed by Japanese aircraft near the riverbank of Yanziwo in Honghu, resulting in the death of 25 staff members. To commemorate the martyrs, in 1987, the local government and residents of Yanwo gathered the martyrs’ remains and buried them in a large stone-built tomb on the elevated riverside slope, erecting a memorial monument in front of the tomb. The martyrs' cemetery stands 2.7 meters high, has a circumference of 23 meters, and is elliptical in shape. The outer layer of the earthen mound is built with stone and mortar, and the top is sealed with cement mortar. A marble tombstone inscribed with the words "Martyrs' Cemetery of the Xinshenglong Ship Victims" by Lu Dingyi is embedded in the center of the tomb wall. The memorial monument stands 6.5 meters tall, with the front side engraved in intaglio with Deng Yingchao’s calligraphy reading "Eternal Glory to the Martyrs of the Xinshenglong Ship Tragedy." (Third Batch)

Source: Hubei Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Hubei Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units