Martyrs' Memorial Cemetery at Shanmen’ao

Martyrs' Memorial Cemetery at Shanmen’ao

The Martyrs' Memorial Cemetery at Shanmen’ao is situated beside the Zhonggong Highway in Cuiheng Village, covering an area of 80 square meters. The incident occurred on July 20, 1944 (the 33rd year of the Republic of China), when nearly a thousand Japanese soldiers and puppet troops from Tangjia, led by Japanese army captain Okamoto and guided by traitors Liang Kongxian and Liang Dingxian, surrounded several villages in Shimenjiubao. After failing to capture anti-Japanese guerrilla fighters, they abducted 93 villagers of all ages and genders, imprisoning them at the Waisa enemy camp where they were severely tortured. Among them, 52 managed to escape, but the remaining 41 were all buried alive by the seaside in Waisa Village. In 1948, local villagers and overseas Chinese from Honolulu raised funds to collect and bury the victims' remains, interring them at Shanmen’ao in Cuiheng and erecting a monument to commemorate the tragedy. In January 1986, the cemetery was rebuilt with donations from Ms. Xie Yueying, an overseas Chinese from the United States, and its area was expanded. New structures including a memorial archway, monument, and tombs were constructed. On the east and west sides of the burial ground, there is one octagonal pavilion with a pointed roof each. The new memorial archway is a single-eave, suspended-roof structure with glazed tile roofing, featuring four large characters inscribed by Ou Chu: “Songbai Changqing” (Pines and Cypresses Stay Evergreen). The couplet was written by Huang Xu, with the upper line reading: “Recalling how in those years the enemy and puppets ran amok, brutally slaughtering innocents and burying them alive, their cries of agony stained the blue sky with blood and tears,” and the lower line: “Thankful that today overseas Chinese and those in Honolulu care deeply, building this archway and burying the dead, their grace reaching even the bleached bones to comfort the souls.” Behind the archway stands a memorial stele over seven meters tall, with the inscriptions “Eternal Glory Through the Ages” and “National Integrity” on its sides. The stele is surrounded by stone carvings, with the inscription on its rear side and the names of the 41 martyred villagers engraved on the stone tablet in front of the round-domed tomb mound. The cemetery is shaded by lush trees, with verdant pines and cypresses setting off the solemn atmosphere.

In November 2004, it was designated as an immovable cultural heritage site by the municipal government.

Cuiheng Village: Cuiheng Village is under the jurisdiction of Nanlang Town, Zhongshan City, located in the southeastern part of the city and also in the southeast of Nanlang Town. It faces the Lingdingyang waters of the Pearl River Estuary to the east, across from Qi’ao Island in Zhuhai City, borders Jinding Town of Zhuhai City to the south, leans against Wuguishan Mountain to the west, and is adjacent to Yakou Village to the northeast. The Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway runs east of the village. The Zhonggong Highway runs through the village. Cui Shan Road connects the Zhonggong Highway to the east and Chenggui Highway to the west, passing by the Yixian Reservoir. It is a key hub for water and land transportation in the southeastern part of Zhongshan City.

In April 2002, the three village committees of Cuiheng, Xiasha, and Shimen were merged into Cui… More details about Cuiheng Village++