Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Martyrs' Cemetery

Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Martyrs' Cemetery

The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Martyrs' Cemetery is a classic red tourism destination and a patriotic education base.

The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Martyrs' Cemetery is located at No. 256 Changgang Road, Nanning.

Established in 1961, the cemetery was originally named Nanning Foziling Revolutionary Cemetery and covers an area of over 2,500 mu. In 1974, it was renamed Nanning Revolutionary Cemetery, and in August 1986, upon approval by the People's Government of the Autonomous Region, it was officially named the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Martyrs' Cemetery, with the name inscribed personally by Deng Xiaoping.

The cemetery faces south and is laid out along a central axis from south to north. Based on function, it is divided into a memorial area, a sightseeing area, and a mourning area. The memorial area consists of the Cemetery Avenue, the Central Memorial Square, the Guangxi Revolution Memorial Hall, and three scenic zones: Liberation, War of Resistance, and Peace. It is a large-scale cemetery integrating commemoration, sightseeing, and mourning.

The Cemetery Avenue is about 1,080 meters long, with 24 unnamed martyr sculptures along both sides depicting historical periods such as the Taiping Rebellion, the Xinhai Revolution, the Great Revolution, the Agrarian Revolutionary War, the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Liberation War, and Socialist Construction. The front of each sculpture’s base is engraved with a poem written by a Guangxi poet.

The Central Memorial Square features a group sculpture commemorating Deng Xiaoping’s leadership in the Baise Uprising and the Longzhou Uprising. The group sculpture is 12.11 meters high and 39.8 meters wide. The main sculpture is a full-body statue of Deng Xiaoping leading the Baise and Longzhou Uprisings, while the side sculptures depict the touching scenes of soldiers and civilians fighting side by side in the revolutionary base areas of the Left and Right Rivers. Eight square pillars stand on either side of the group sculpture, symbolizing the indomitable and forward-striving revolutionary spirit of the people of Guangxi.

The Guangxi Revolution Memorial Hall is located in the middle section of the cemetery’s central axis. It is a two-story building with a total area of 5,600 square meters. The hall hosts two exhibitions: "The Glorious Journey" (Exhibition on the History of Guangxi’s Revolutionary Struggles) and "Guangxi’s Generals, Talents, and Special Exhibitions on the Care of Party and State Leaders for Guangxi." The Exhibition on the History of Guangxi’s Revolutionary Struggles uses tens of thousands of words, over 1,000 photos, and more than 150 artifacts, supplemented by sound, light, and electric effects, to showcase major events in Guangxi across various historical periods from the Xinhai Revolution onwards, especially after the founding of the Communist Party of China up to the 21st century. It highlights the deeds of over 350 notable martyrs from the Great Revolution, Agrarian Revolutionary War, War of Resistance Against Japan, Liberation War, and Socialist Construction periods. It also displays the life stories of founding generals from Guangxi and provincial- or military-level and above leaders who participated in revolutionary work in Guangxi during the New Democratic period, as well as the exhibition on the care of Party and state leaders for Guangxi (the Guangxi Revolution Memorial Hall was renovated and re-exhibited in 2010, and reopened in July 2011).

Behind the Guangxi Revolution Memorial Hall, there are three major memorial scenic areas: the War of Resistance Against Japan Scenic Area, the Liberation War Scenic Area, and the Peace Scenic Area. The War of Resistance Against Japan Scenic Area consists of the main sculpture "Big Sword—" and secondary sculptures "Iron Wall" and "Suffering Mother," reflecting the arduous journey of the people of all ethnic groups in Guangxi bravely resisting the Japanese army under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. The Liberation War Scenic Area is a large granite group sculpture arranged in a scattered layout, consisting of four portrait heads and a rifle, titled "Dawn, Victory, Immortality." There are 12 stone tablets around it, introducing the struggles in 11 guerrilla zones in Guangxi during the Liberation War and an overview of the Guangxi Campaign. The Peace Scenic Area was built to commemorate the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in anti-bandit campaigns, the Korean War, border defense, peacekeeping, rescuing people’s lives, and protecting state and collective property after the founding of New China.

The mourning area is located at the north gate of the cemetery, adjacent to Yongbin Highway, offering very convenient transportation for public mourning. It consists of the main gate, the public mourning square, the Martyrs’ Name Wall, and the Martyrs’ Tomb Area.

The main gate of the mourning area is a grand Qing-style stone archway. The public mourning square adopts a symmetrical central-axis layout, covering an area of 3,600 square meters. It includes a monument, six artistic totem poles, and an eternal flame. The monument is located in the center of the square, standing 29.1211 meters tall—its height symbolizes the date of the Baise Uprising. Its main body is carved with three sets of sculptures themed “Suffering,” “War,” and “Victory” from bottom to top, reflecting the progress of the revolution. The front of the monument is inscribed with the eight characters “Eternal Glory to the Fallen Martyrs.” The base is surrounded by four white marble reliefs: "Baise Uprising," "War of Resistance Against Japan," "Liberation War," and "Peace Heroes." On either side of the monument are three artistic totem poles, depicting two aspects: representative revolutionary sites, memorials, and figures in Guangxi; and revolutionary-symbolic plants in Guangxi such as kapok, bamboo, and pine. In front of the monument stands an eternal flame shaped like a bronze drum.

Behind the monument is a small square, where the Martyrs’ Name Wall is an enclosed structure 3.6 meters high and 35 meters long, shaped like a natural mountain. At the center of the wall is a relief with a military medal as the main motif, symbolizing that the martyrs rest forever among Guangxi’s mountains, accompanying us eternally, with their spirits shining as brightly as medals through the ages. Over 17,360 names of martyrs who sacrificed for the revolution in Guangxi are carved on the wall. On the south side of the wall stands a monument to unnamed martyrs, commemorating those unsung heroes who gave their lives for the Chinese revolution.

The Martyrs’ Tomb Area is located on the hillside behind the public mourning square, comprising 250 tombs where martyrs who sacrificed in various revolutionary periods in Guangxi are buried, open for public visitation and mourning.

In August 1985, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Martyrs' Cemetery was designated by the State Council as a National Key Martyrs' Memorial Building Protection Unit. In December 1995, it was named a Patriotic Education Base of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region by the Autonomous Region Party Committee and Government. In November 2005, it was designated as a National Patriotic Education Demonstration Base by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee.