"September 5th" Massacre Memorial Hall

"September 5th" Massacre Memorial Hall

The "September 5th" Massacre Memorial Hall is a national AA-level tourist attraction.

The Wanzhou "September 5th" Massacre Memorial Hall (hereinafter referred to as the Memorial Hall) was approved for establishment by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee. It is the only memorial building in Wanzhou, Chongqing, approved by the central government. The former Vice Premier of the State Council and Minister of National Defense, General Zhang Aiping, inscribed the name of the hall, and it was founded by Liu Shujin.

The "September 5th" Massacre shocked China and the world, ranking as the first case of its kind in the world. On September 5, 1926, British imperialism brazenly deployed three warships to bombard Wanzhou County without a formal declaration of war against China. In two hours of savage shelling, a total of 5,000 Chinese people were killed — that’s one person every 1.44 seconds — an atrocity unprecedented in human history.

The Memorial Hall: An Everlasting Textbook. The innovative establishment of the museum began in 1995, the 69th anniversary of the "September 5th" Massacre, with a feasibility study conducted that year. On December 10 of the same year, the decision to apply for its construction was made. With the support of the Party, government, propaganda department leaders, and friends passionate about the public welfare cause of the "September 5th" Massacre, the project seized the historical opportunity of the 70th anniversary of the massacre, riding the wave of reform and opening-up inspired by Deng Xiaoping’s Southern Tour Speech. On March 20, 1996, government approval was granted. Upholding innovation unwaveringly and overcoming numerous difficulties, seventy years after the incident, the "September 5th" Massacre Memorial Hall was created from scratch, establishing a brand-new institutional model. On September 5, 1996, the memorial hall was inaugurated with high specifications and great fanfare. Over 1,000 guests from Nanjing, Chongqing, and local officials and masses attended the opening ceremony, with all available local Party, government, and military leaders from both Wanzhou City and Longbao District present. The next day, on September 6, the front page headline of the Wanzhou Daily praised it as: "The Memorial Hall: An Everlasting Textbook," with the full text of the important speech delivered by Chen Guangguo, then Secretary of the Wanzhou Municipal (prefecture-level) CPC Committee, at the inauguration titled "Never Forget National Humiliation, Strive for Self-Strengthening, and Revitalize Our Wanzhou" also published in full on the same page.

The Memorial Hall has profound significance, immeasurable value, and global influence. Its construction adheres to the laws of objective development, closely integrates with the social environment and its own realities, and follows the path of "from nothing to something, from simplicity to complexity, from weakness to strength, with a focus on internal development." Since its opening, the museum has spared no expense to rescue and collect over 30,000 items (including precious cultural relics). All exhibits primarily feature valuable cultural relics, making it a large-scale museum with distinctive categories, profound historical and cultural roots, rich content, immeasurable value, and global impact. It primarily commemorates the world's first case — the "September 5th" Massacre, while also commemorating the War of Resistance and Jiang Jie as secondary themes, supplemented by displays of national defense, military, and fire safety artifacts. The museum adheres to the path of "internal development as the focus," with the theme: "For prosperity, we preserve the 'September 5th' Incident; for peace, we preserve war; for wisdom, we study cases; for the future, we remember history." The site has now expanded to ten locations: the "September 5th" Massacre Exhibition Hall, the "September 5th" Massacre Memorial Gate, the "September 5th" Massacre Memorial Monument, the "September 5th" Massacre "Zhenyuan Hall" (artifacts in place, under reconstruction), the "September 5th" Massacre Alarm Tower, the War of Resistance Exhibition Hall, the Jiang Jie Exhibition Hall, the MiG-19 Fighter Jet, the Military Exhibition Hall, and the Republican-era "Prepared but Unused" (artifacts in place, under reconstruction). The Memorial Hall: Possesses strong core competitiveness, is renowned both domestically and internationally, and influences the world. Its invaluable legacy continues to deeply attract a wide range of international and domestic tourists, leaving them lingering, enlightened, and greatly benefited.

The Memorial Hall is divided into three functional zones. The first is the front zone, centered around the "September 5th" Massacre Memorial Gate, with the main entrance located directly ahead, accessible via steps from the mountain bay road. To the left is the parking lot and south gate, leading directly to the road, and to the right is the customer service center (under preparation). The second is the middle zone, the core scenic area, which houses seven visiting sites and charges admission fees. These include the "September 5th" Exhibition Hall, the War of Resistance Exhibition Hall, the Jiang Jie Exhibition Hall, the National Defense Education (MiG-19 Fighter Jet) Exhibition Area, the Military Museum Exhibition Hall, the Republican-era "Prepared but Unused," and the "September 5th" "Zhenyuan Hall." The third is the rear zone, centered around the "September 5th" Massacre Memorial Monument, featuring a memorial square surrounded by lush pines and cypresses, solemn and tranquil. To the west is the customer service center, multi-function hall, and ticket office, while to the east is the back gate. Exiting the back gate leads to the road; turning left and descending the stone steps takes you to Baiyan Road in the city center, while turning right leads to the mountain bay road, which also connects directly to Baiyan Road, offering very convenient transportation.

The Memorial Hall has received high praise and encouragement from the Party, government, and society. It has been designated as a national-level tourist attraction, listed by both the Chongqing Municipal Government and Wanzhou District Government as an important base for patriotic and national defense education, and is one of Chongqing’s nine major "Red Memory" commemorative venues. The Wanzhou District Committee of the CPC Chongqing Municipality commended it in writing: "A good deed done for future generations and for the development of Wanzhou." In 2012, the National Cultural Heritage Administration recognized the "September 5th" Memorial Hall as a museum with "significant" national impact; in 2015, the National Tourism Administration designated it as a nationally "trustworthy" scenic area.

The Memorial Hall is located on the southwest side of Gaosun Pond in the main urban center of Wanzhou, the second-largest city in Chongqing. It is a straight-line distance of over 350 meters and a road distance of over 1,000 meters from the center of Gaosun Pond. Situated within the Taibaiyan Natural Scenic Area, it neighbors Shanwan Park to the right and the Martyrs' Cemetery to the left, with a planned national land area of 11.5 mu.

Contact number: 58203104

Postal code: 404000

Address: No. 10, Lanchigou, Wanzhou District, Chongqing City