Qinhuangdao Martyrs' Cemetery

Qinhuangdao Martyrs' Cemetery

The Qinhuangdao Martyrs' Cemetery serves as a science education base, a patriotism education base, and a national defense education base.

The predecessor of the Qinhuangdao Martyrs' Cemetery was the Shanhaiguan Martyrs' Cemetery, established in 1956.

Eighty-two years ago, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, a major strike broke out on the Beijing-Fengtian Railway in Qinhuangdao; seventy-six years ago, the first shots of the Battle of the Great Wall were fired here; sixty-four years ago, brave People's Liberation Army soldiers organized the Shanhaiguan Defense Battle; sixty-one years ago, taking advantage of the victory in the Liaoshen Campaign, the PLA relentlessly pursued the remnants of the enemy... On this hallowed land of Qinhuangdao lie the remains of 3,860 revolutionary martyrs who sacrificed heroically in the battles to defend their hometowns and resist foreign invasion. They are forever heroes of the Republic and benefactors whom future generations must never forget. However, some of them remain buried in scattered rural graves across the city, while others who died in other places have no known burial sites. The existing four martyrs’ cemeteries in Qinhuangdao also suffer from outdated facilities and years of neglect. In 2008, Ma Yufeng, then member of the Standing Committee of the Qinhuangdao Municipal Party Committee and Executive Vice Mayor, led a team from the civil affairs department and related sectors to investigate the current state of martyr graves throughout the city. They found that although there were four martyrs’ cemeteries in the city, most were built in the early years after liberation, generally suffering from severe damage, aging facilities, incomplete supporting infrastructure, and low standards of landscaping and beautification.

The management of martyrs’ memorial facilities had fallen far behind the demands of the times and the public, unable to meet the needs of people engaging in patriotic education activities and affecting the fulfillment of their educational role. As a result, the Qinhuangdao Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government decided to rebuild the Shanhaiguan Martyrs' Cemetery into the Qinhuangdao Martyrs' Cemetery to honor the spirits of the martyrs, while also renovating the martyrs’ cemeteries in Beidaihe, Funing, Lulong, Qinglong, and Changli.

The city immediately established a cemetery renovation project leadership group, hired a professional cemetery design company, allocated special funds from the municipal treasury, and launched a public fundraising campaign. The Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government pledged to erect a merit stele in the cemetery to commemorate donating organizations and individuals. The project received unanimous support from all sectors of society, with enthusiastic donations of funds and materials. Hebei Ocean Shipping Group donated HK$2.5 million and RMB500,000 toward the Qinhuangdao Martyrs' Cemetery renovation project; Liu Jianghua, a municipal People’s Congress representative, contributed a donation of RMB1 million...

At the end of May 2009, construction of the cemetery began. After over 100 days of intensive work, a municipal-level martyrs’ cemetery covering an area of 15,880 square meters and with an investment of 12 million yuan was officially completed. The main monument in the cemetery stands 19.48 meters tall, symbolizing the liberation of Qinhuangdao in 1948. The cemetery includes a memorial monument, martyr tombs, a martyrs’ wall, a plaza in front of the monument, a sculpture in front of the monument, a pavilion, an exhibition corridor, and a martyrs’ deeds exhibition hall. A comprehensive survey identified the names of 3,860 martyrs—both from Qinhuangdao and other provinces—who died in battle within the city, as well as notable Qinhuangdao martyrs who died elsewhere. Their names have been engraved on the martyrs’ wall, which also reserves a special blank space in honor of the numerous unnamed martyrs.

In addition, ten statues of renowned martyrs have been erected on both sides of the cemetery, depicting: Li Dazhao, Wang Jinmei, Li Yunchang, Zeng Kelin, An Dexin, Zhou Chunfu, Ma Ji, Wang Ce, Ruan Wude, and Shao Hongsheng.

Wang Santang, Secretary of the Qinhuangdao Municipal Party Committee, stated in his speech that the establishment of the martyrs’ cemetery in Qinhuangdao is meant to deeply honor the heroic sons and daughters who gave their lives for the revolutionary cause, offer heartfelt tribute to the martyrs resting here, and build the cemetery into an important base for patriotism and national defense education in Qinhuangdao.