Jinzhou Martyrs' Cemetery

Jinzhou Martyrs' Cemetery

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

Jinzhou Martyrs' Cemetery

Jinzhou Martyrs' Cemetery The Jinzhou Martyrs' Cemetery was first built in the autumn of 1946 on the north side of the road in the western section of Jiucheng Street, in front of the old Confucian temple. It is east of the auditorium and south of the theater. The construction was completed in 1955, covering an area of about half an acre. It includes one martyrs' public cemetery and one martyrs' monument pavilion. In April 1963, the theater was converted into a martyrs' memorial hall, which houses a list of martyrs and some of their personal belongings.

In August 1974, the cemetery was relocated to a new site on the east side of the southern section of Dongsheng Road in the urban area. The entire project was completed in December 1978 and officially opened to the public. The new cemetery faces south and is surrounded by crafted brick walls, covering a total area of 7,254 square meters with a building area of 640 square meters.

The northern part of the cemetery houses the Martyrs' Memorial Hall, which covers an area of 240 square meters. It displays portraits, personal belongings, ashes, and used firearms and grenades of some martyrs. It also contains a list of 3,097 revolutionary martyrs, including 1,775 from the Anti-Japanese War period, 703 from the Liberation War period, 168 after the founding of New China, and 451 recorded on the martyrs' monument. On both the east and west sides of the memorial hall are exhibition rooms, totaling 140 square meters, showcasing patriotic education images and the heroic deeds of notable martyrs. Carefully compiled biographies of eight martyrs are also displayed, including: Sun Yuan, the county party secretary who was surrounded by Japanese puppet troops while covering the escape of comrades during an anti-sweeping operation in the Anti-Japanese War period and died a martyr’s death after firing his last bullet; County Magistrate Li Zizhi, who was captured by the enemy due to betrayal, endured torture without yielding, and was killed by the Japanese who used wire to strangle him; Yang Lingmei, a Liu Hulan-like heroine from the Central Hebei Plain, who stepped forward to protect civilians, had her breasts cut off, and was nailed to the city wall by the Japanese; Guo Shagua, an eight-year-old child member of the anti-Japanese youth group who was thrown into a sweet potato kiln and burned alive by the Japanese to prevent him from protecting anti-Japanese cadres; Yao Zheng, the head of the District Women's Salvation Association, who was arrested for conducting anti-Japanese propaganda, endured severe torture without surrendering, and was stabbed to death by the Japanese on the execution ground; Shao Tonggen, who died while extinguishing a fire in the Beijing subway after the founding of New China; Li Zhouqiu, who sacrificed his life while fighting a blaze to protect state property; and Chen Jiangang, who pushed a frightened donkey and a wooden cart off the railway tracks to prevent a train derailment and was hit by a train.

In the center of the cemetery stands a majestic martyrs' monument. The front is inscribed with “Immortal for the Sacrifice of the Nation,” and the back reads “Monument to Revolutionary Martyrs.” To the south is a 4.5-meter-high white marble statue of Martyr Yang Lingmei. In 1986, Lü Zhengcao inscribed the words “Liu Hulan-like Heroine of the Central Hebei Plain – Martyr Yang Lingmei.” On both the east and west sides of the statue are memorial pavilions. In front of the statue is a three-arch memorial archway. Southward, across a small arched bridge over an artificial river, the east side features a screen wall engraved with the four gilded characters “Martyrs’ Cemetery,” and the west side is the main gate of the cemetery.

The cemetery receives 20,000 visitors annually, including cadres, civilians, and primary and secondary school students. It has fully leveraged its strengths in promoting patriotic education and was recognized as an “Advanced Unit in Management Work in Hebei Province” in 1995.

Address: East side of Dongsheng Road, Jinzhou City, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province