Ouyang Hai Memorial Tower and Tomb

Ouyang Hai Memorial Tower and Tomb

The Ouyang Hai Memorial Tower and Tomb is a cultural relic protection unit of Hunan Province and a classic red tourism attraction.

Ouyang Hai Memorial Tower and Tomb

Built in 1967. Located in Xintang Town, Hengdong County, Hunan Province. This is a memorial structure dedicated to "Model Soldier for the People" Ouyang Hai.

On November 18, 1963, Ouyang Hai sacrificed his life heroically here while saving a train, and the memorial tower was built on this site in 1967. The tower faces west and stands 8 meters tall, with a base constructed from granite. The main body of the tower is built from stone, shaped like a square column. The front is inscribed with eight large clerical script characters reading “Monument to Martyr Ouyang Hai.” At the top of the tower is a statue depicting the martyr pushing the horse off the railway tracks to save the train. Exhibition rooms are built on both sides of the tower, displaying the life and deeds of the martyr. The area around the tower is planted with cypress, cedar, camellia, and red plum trees, covering a total area of 1,980 square meters.

Ouyang Hai’s tomb is located at Shihua’ao, Zaoshi, Leiyang City. The tomb is round, with a cement top, standing 1.8 meters high and with a base diameter of 4 meters. The tombstone is 1.85 meters tall and inscribed with “Tomb of the Great Communist Fighter, Martyr Ouyang Hai.” The inscription is signed by “Political Department Command of the 6954th Unit of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.” The reverse side of the tombstone details the life and deeds of the martyr. In front of the tomb is a half-body statue of the martyr, 2.5 meters tall including the base. The three sides of the tomb are enclosed by a railing.

Ouyang Hai (1940–1963), a native of Guiyang County, joined the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in 1958 and the Communist Party of China in 1960. He served as a soldier and squad leader, earning three merits and being recognized as an exemplary soldier twice. On November 18, 1963, during a military training exercise, he was passing by the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway about 18 kilometers northwest of Hengdong County when a warhorse carrying artillery equipment, startled by the sound of an approaching northbound train, bolted onto the tracks. At the moment the train was about to hit the horse, Ouyang Hai leaped onto the tracks and pushed the horse away with all his might. He was struck by the train and died a heroic death. His unit posthumously awarded him First-Class Merit. The Guangzhou Military Region honored him as a “Model Soldier for the People,” and the Ministry of National Defense named his former squad the “Ouyang Hai Squad.”

On September 1, 1972, the Hunan Provincial Revolutionary Committee designated both the memorial tower and the martyr’s tomb as provincial-level cultural relic protection units. The memorial tower was assigned number 44, and the martyr’s tomb number 43.

Ouyang Hai

(1940–1963)

Model Soldier for the People, Revolutionary Martyr.

A native of Guiyang County, Hunan Province, Ouyang Hai was born on November 22, 1940, in Laoyawo Village, Liantang District, Guiyang County, into a poor farming family. At age 7, he begged with his younger siblings in the countryside; at age 8, he went up the mountain to make charcoal. The hardships of life under the old society forged his sense of love and hate. After the founding of New China, he grew up strong under the care of the Party and the people. In the winter of 1958, he joined the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. He served as a soldier, squad leader, and deputy platoon leader. He loved learning, was eager to improve himself, and strived diligently to enhance... Ouyang Hai detailed information++