Shuishi Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery

Shuishi Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery

Shuishi Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery is a cultural heritage site of Ningyuan County, a classic red tourism destination, and a patriotic education base.

Shuishi Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery is located in Shuishi Town, Ningyuan County, Yongzhou City, approximately 18 kilometers south of Ningyuan County. It was established to commemorate the martyrs of the Red Army as well as those who sacrificed their lives during the March 29 Uprising in 1950.

On November 17, 1949, Ningyuan County was peacefully liberated, but a small group of reactionaries, unwilling to accept defeat, attempted to stage a comeback and reclaim what they had lost. Led by Zheng Yuanzan (a Kuomintang regiment commander and county magistrate), Ou Pingcheng (a military intelligence agent), and Ou Long (a Kuomintang battalion commander), they organized the South China Anti-Communist Command of the Kuomintang and carried out reactionary activities. On March 29, 1950, the "South China Command" launched an armed uprising in areas such as Shuishi, Heping, and Xiapo in Ningyuan’s Second District. Seven revolutionary cadres — Wang Kun, Guo Jinsheng, Long Jinxing, Ou Yan, Zhao Qishan, Shi Chaosheng, and Jiang Huakun — were brutally killed. On March 31, relying on broad public support, the Ningyuan County Committee launched a vigorous campaign to suppress bandits and local tyrants and to eliminate reactionary elements. Except for the ringleader Zheng Yuanzan, who fled to Taiwan, all other criminals involved in the March 29 Uprising were arrested. A total of 114 key offenders, including Ou Chengping, were lawfully executed. The remains of six martyrs — Guo Jinsheng, Shi Chaosheng, Ou Yan, Squad Leader He, Long Jinxing, and Zhao Qishan — were laid to rest in the Shuishi Martyrs' Cemetery in the Second District. In 1964, the remains of 11 Red Army soldiers who died during the Long March were also relocated from Tianjia, Xiaonanhai, and Tian Tang Sun Cave in Shuishi and reburied in the Shuishi Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery.

Covering an area of over 20 acres, Shuishi Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery features a main gate inscribed with the horizontal plaque “Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery.” In front of the martyrs’ tombs stands a bluestone stele, 2.5 meters high and 0.95 meters wide, engraved with the bold characters “Eternal Glory to Revolutionary Heroes” in intaglio regular script. Behind the stele are rows of martyrs’ graves, in the following order: Long Jinxing, Ou Yan, Zhao Qishan, 11 Red Army soldiers (names lost), Guo Jinsheng, Shi Chaosheng, and People’s Liberation Army Squad Leader He (name unknown). Along the memorial pathway stands an octagonal five-tiered martyrs’ memorial tower, which bears a stone plaque inscribed with the words “The Revolutionary Martyrs Forever Inspire Us to Forge Ahead.” At the highest point of the cemetery is a memorial pavilion, a single-eave hexagonal concrete structure with six pillars and upturned eaves. The pavilion includes stone tables and benches for visitors to rest.

In November 1996, Shuishi Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery was designated as a cultural heritage site of Ningyuan County by the Ningyuan County People's Government. In August 1995, it was recognized as a patriotic education base of Yongzhou City by the Publicity Department of the Yongzhou Municipal Committee.