Shaoshan Martyrs' Cemetery

Shaoshan Martyrs' Cemetery

Shaoshan Martyrs' Cemetery is a classic red tourism destination and a patriotic education base.

Shaoshan Martyrs' Cemetery is located on Swan Mountain in Huayuan Village, Shaoshan Township, Xiangtan City, Hunan Province, covering a total area of 10.8 hectares. Facing south and overlooking north, it echoes the statue of Mao Zedong at the train station. It is a permanent memorial structure built to commemorate the revolutionary martyrs of Shaoshan and also one of the tribute projects for celebrating the 100th anniversary of Mao Zedong's birth in Hunan Province. It was completed and opened to the public on December 25, 1993.

In front of the cemetery gate stands a triangular archway, with the six gilded Chinese characters “Shaoshan Martyrs' Cemetery” inscribed on the front, written by Wang Shoudao, former Vice Chairman of the Central Advisory Commission. The overall structure of the gatehouse resembles a floral wreath, with two square pillars in the middle acting like mourning sticks on a wreath, topped with a wreath-shaped emblem. The sun, moon, stars, and cloud patterns on the gate signify that the spirits of the martyrs will live on forever, the revolutionary cause will flourish eternally, and their legacy will endure as long as heaven and earth. The central part of the gatehouse is 19.93 meters high, the side pillars are 12 meters tall, and the total width of the gate is 26 meters, symbolizing December 26, 1993, the centennial birth date of Comrade Mao Zedong.

From the Spark Square, there are 425 marble steps leading upwards. The national flag platform is built at the start of the steps. A 19.93-meter-high stainless steel flagpole points straight to the blue sky, with the Five-Star Red Flag fluttering in the wind. The white marble railing of the flag platform is carved with a design of clouds lifting up a sun, symbolizing that Shaoshan gave birth to Mao Zedong, and that Shaoshan is the place where the red sun rises.

The Martyrs' Tower stands atop Swan Mountain at an altitude of 109 meters. With a circular base and a sword-like spire wrapped in the red flag, it soars into the clouds, symbolizing “The red flag rallies the peasants’ spears,” representing how Mao Zedong personally ignited the blazing flames of China’s revolution. The tower is 26 meters tall in total, with the upper three-sided body being 19.93 meters and the lower Hall of Martyrs having a diameter of 12 meters. Inside the hall, 84 white marble tablets are inscribed with the names and brief biographies of over 140 martyrs; around the exterior of the hall are four groups of bas-reliefs—“Extraordinary Scenery,” “Revolutionary Theory,” “Agrarian Movement Tide,” and “Daring to Create a New World”—condensing the historical origins of Shaoshan and its revolutionary struggle. These reliefs stretch 77 meters in length and 2 meters in height, ranking first among similar carvings on monuments and towers in China.

Six bronze statues of Mao Zedong’s relatives are “reunited” on the mountainside east of the Martyrs' Tower. Each statue is 3 meters tall and weighs 1 ton. Vividly crafted in both form and spirit, each has its own unique style, recreating the heroic spirit of Mao Min, Mao Zetan, Yang Kaihui, Mao Zehuai, Mao Anying, and Mao Chuxiong, who “dared to teach the sun and moon to make way for a new sky” with great sacrifice.

“Tears Flying Spring” was built based on the line from Mao Zedong’s poem “Butterfly Loves Flowers – Reply to Li Shuyi”: “Suddenly came the news that tigers on earth had been tamed, and tears poured down like pouring rain.” It is located west and below the platform of the six bronze statues of Mao Zedong’s relatives.

The joint tomb of three famous martyrs—Peng Gongda, Lin Wei, and Sun Ren—and the “Five Heroes Pavilion” commemorating Mao Fuxuan, Pang Shukan, Li Genghou, Mao Xinmei, and Zhong Zhishen, the earliest members of the Shaoshan Special Branch of the CPC, are respectively situated on the mountainside east of the cemetery. The full-body standing statues of the three martyrs in the joint tomb are each 3.2 meters tall, carved from granite, lifelike and distinct, full of fervor and vividly realistic. The “Five Heroes Pavilion” features a uniquely creative design: five stories, five angles, and five doors. Inside the pavilion are carvings of the images and biographies of the five martyrs, and the five small pavilions share a unified cedar appearance, symbolizing the everlasting spirit of the heroes.

Between 2007 and 2010, the cemetery underwent a comprehensive renovation, greening, and lighting project, with the addition of the Orchid Pavilion, Yifang Pavilion, and Poetry Stele Corridor, along with improved supporting service facilities.

Shaoshan Martyrs' Cemetery was approved by the State Council in November 1996 as a National Key Martyrs’ Memorial Building Protection Unit. In January 1994, it was designated as a Patriotic Education Base by the Xiangtan Municipal Party Committee, Municipal Government, and the Hunan Provincial Department of Civil Affairs. In 1995, it was named a Patriotic Education Base by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of China, and in July 2010, it was announced as a Hunan Provincial Patriotic Education Base by the Hunan Provincial Propaganda Department.

Qingxi Town: Qingxi Town, Ruyi Town, and Yongyi Township were merged to form Qingxi Town.

Qingxi Town is the county seat of Shaoshan City. It boasts a beautiful environment, developed transportation, and a thriving economy, serving as the political, economic, transportation, and cultural center of Shaoshan City. It is the main hub for tourists from across China and around the world visiting Shaoshan, and it is the most promising key town in Shaoshan.

Qingxi is named after Qingxi Mountain within its territory. Located in the central part of Shaoshan City, where the city’s party and government offices are stationed, it was established as a township-level town in April 1986 with the approval of the provincial government. The town government is located on Yingbin... Detailed information about Qingxi Town++

Further reading:

· Ninth Batch of Hunan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

Shaoshan Scenic Area in Xiangtan

Former Residence of Comrade Mao Zedong

Shaoshan's Water-Dripping Cave

Mao Zedong Memorial Park (Scenic Park)

Shaoshan Mao Clan Ancestral Hall

Shaoshan Mao Zedong Memorial Hall

Mao Zedong Memorabilia Museum

Shaoshan Mao Jian Ancestral Hall

Shaoshan Mao Zedong Poetry Stele Forest

Shaofeng (Shaoshan Peak)

Water-Dripping Wonderland

Shaoshan Mao Zedong's Private School on the South Bank

Statue of Mao Zedong in His Youth

Mao Zhen Ancestral Hall

Mao Zedong Bronze Statue Square in Shaoshan

Building No. 1, Songshan, Shaoshan

Mao Zedong Library

Tomb of Mao Zedong’s Parents