Yunxian Revolutionary Martyrs' Monument

Yunxian Revolutionary Martyrs' Monument

Yunxian Revolutionary Martyrs' Monument is a cultural tourism attraction and a classic red tourism site.

Yunxian Revolutionary Martyrs' Monument

To commemorate the brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the battles against bandits and for grain collection, the Yunxian County People's Government erected a martyrs' monument at the People's Auditorium in December 1950 to honor the glorious deeds of 68 martyrs. In January 1969, the martyrs' monument was relocated to the west bank of the Nan River, between the former county bus fleet and the workers' club, where the Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery was established. Covering an area of 2,975 square meters, the monument stands tall in the eastern center of the cemetery. It is square-shaped and tower-like, with a base 15 meters wide on each side and 1.1 meters high, featuring eight steps. The second tier is 4 meters wide and 2.3 meters high. The main body of the monument is 1.4 meters wide and 6.7 meters high. The total height of the monument is 10.1 meters, surrounded by 23 wreaths symbolizing the reverence of Yunxian’s then 230,000 people of all ethnicities for the martyrs.

The four sides of the martyrs' monument are inlaid with marble plaques bearing inscriptions. The front (west) side reads “Eternal Glory to the People’s Heroes.” The east, south, and north sides are inscribed with Mao Zedong’s calligraphy: “Living a great life, dying a glorious death,” “With sacrifice comes great determination; we dare to make the sun and moon shine in new skies,” and “To die for the people is heavier than Mount Tai,” respectively. The east side lists the names of the martyrs. The west side features the inscription “Eternal Glory to the Revolutionary Martyrs,” narrating the heroic deeds of the martyrs. The south and north sides also bear Mao Zedong’s handwritten verses from “The People’s Liberation Army Captures Nanjing” and “The Long March.” The monument is now an important part of Binhe Park. The park is lush with flowers and evergreen pines and cypresses, blooming with seasonal flowers year-round, alive with birdsong and butterflies. It serves as a moral education base for local primary and secondary schools and a leisure spot for the public.

On December 9, 1949, General Lu Han announced the uprising in Kunming, accepting the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. On December 11, officials from Yunxian’s Party, government, and military gathered at the People's Auditorium to support the peaceful liberation of Yunnan and accept the leadership of the CCP. On February 15, 1950, the Yunxian County People's Government was established. In early April, the CCP Yunxian Working Committee formed the Yunxian Grain Collection Committee, organizing a grain collection team of over 400 members to carry out the work across various districts.

Conducting grain collection was a necessary step to consolidate the newly established people's government, ensure the normal functioning of its institutions, transform Yunxian society—liberated from millennia of slavery, feudal land systems, and Kuomintang reactionary rule—and realize the people's self-governance. Though warmly supported by the masses, especially poor and hired farmers, it threatened the fundamental interests of feudal landlords and the privileged elite of the old society, drawing fierce resistance and violent counterattacks from remnants of the Kuomintang, reactionary chieftains, and local tyrants led by figures such as Zhang Guozhu and Li Guangrong. This period is what we commonly refer to as the early post-liberation campaign of suppressing bandits, fighting tyrants, and collecting grain.

During the campaign against bandits and for grain collection, three major battles took place in Chafang Township, resulting in the deaths or killings of 10 PLA soldiers, grain collection workers, and village cadres.

These three battles were: On July 23, Shen Weisong, Shen Weiqing—bandit leaders in Chafang—and local tyrant Peng Xing killed village head Li Chaolong and work team member Li Jiaqing. They then colluded with district head Tang and deputy head Shi, using them as insiders, and the next day gathered over 30 bandits to attack the Chafang District government. Gu Ze, head of the Fourth District and a PLA company commander, led over 10 public security officers in fierce combat against the bandits. The bandits’ machine gunner was killed, one bandit leader was seriously wounded, and the insider dared not act. The remaining bandits fled, abandoning their machine gun, while public security officer Zhang Youlin was killed in battle.

In the early hours of August 9, Zhang Guozhu and Li Guangrong led over 600 bandits from three battalions into Chafang. They captured village head Shi Jiacao, tortured him, and then killed him. The streets around Chafang were swarmed with bandits, and both the district government and the work team headquarters were besieged. Zhang promised each participating bandit 100 silver dollars and 100 kilograms of grain for attacking Chafang, amid the sounds of gunfire and bandit cries. Backed by the bandits, reactionary landlords and local thugs emerged, wielding sabers to hunt down work team members. Tax collector Fan Jingming and Lu Yan were brutally killed. At a critical moment, Gu Ze, head of the county work team, ordered platoon leader Deng Dezhi to lead four PLA soldiers and work team members to hold the position, while he himself charged out with two guns, fighting his way along the street and leaping over a wall into the district government compound to organize cadres and soldiers for fierce combat. The bandits launched several frenzied attacks but were repelled. After two machine gunners were killed and dozens were casualties, Zhang realized he could not take Chafang and fled, leaving behind nine bodies, one machine gun, and one rifle. PLA platoon leader Deng Dezhi and public security officer Huang Fazhi were killed in battle. Unwilling to accept defeat after suffering heavy losses in Chafang, bandit leader Zhang Guozhu learned that County Chief Liu Yun, who had been inspecting work in Dazhai, was returning to the county seat and plotted to capture him.

On the afternoon of the 9th, when County Chief Liu Yun, leading 29 PLA soldiers, government workers, and public security officers, along with over 30 loads of goods, arrived at the Nianzi Mountain Pass in Wenyah, over 200 bandits surrounded them from three directions. Liu immediately directed his team to protect the goods while fighting the bandits. Soon, 14 of the 17 public security officers either defected or fled. Liu and his group seized a high point and engaged the bandits in intense combat, repeatedly repelling their attacks. During the battle, platoon leader Li Zhongshu and soldier Yan Gouqun were killed. After more than ten bandits were killed or wounded, panic set in and they began to scatter. By nightfall, Liu and his team escaped to a nearby village, where locals helped them recover their weapons and rest. Upon hearing of Liu’s peril, PLA forces stationed in Dazhai rushed to reinforce them, locating Liu and his team the next day, ensuring their full safety. Zhang Guozhu’s plot to capture the county chief ultimately failed.

The martyrs who died during the grain collection and anti-bandit operations in Chafang were buried nearby. In April 1969, the county government built the Chafang Township Revolutionary Martyrs' Monument.

The monument is located on a hill 200 meters east of the Chafang Township government in Yunxian, over 40 kilometers from the county seat. It has a subtropical monsoon climate. To its west and north are villages, 100 meters east is the road to the Dachaoshan Hydropower Station, and 500 meters south is Chafang Township. The surrounding area includes township-level offices and schools, making it the political, economic, and cultural hub of the township. The eight martyrs buried here are:

Fan Jinming, male, 18, from Weishan County, Yunnan Province, a soldier of the Eighth Detachment of the Border Region Column and a grain collection worker, was killed by reactionary local tyrants during the bandit attack on the Chafang District government on August 9, 1950.

Yan Gouqun, male, 25, from Ye County, Henan Province, a soldier of the 2nd Battalion, 120th Regiment, 40th Division, 14th Army of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, was killed in the Wenyah battle on August 9, 1950.

Li Zhongshu, male, 25, from Pingyao County, Shanxi Province, a deputy platoon leader of the 2nd Battalion, 120th Regiment, 40th Division, 14th Army of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, and a member of the Communist Party of China, was killed in the Wenyah battle on August 9, 1950.

Ma Yongkuan, male, 23, from Jincheng, Shanxi Province, a platoon leader of the 2nd Battalion, 120th Regiment, 40th Division, 14th Army of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, was killed in the Yanzitou anti-bandit battle near the Yunxian-Lincang border in mid-June 1950.

Deng Dezhi, male, 35, from Ye County, Henan Province, a platoon leader of the 2nd Battalion, 120th Regiment, 40th Division, 14th Army of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and a member of the Communist Party of China, was killed in the bandit attack on the Chafang District government on August 9, 1950.

Xu Chuanzhou, male, 20, from Anhui Province, a soldier of the 2nd Battalion, 120th Regiment, 40th Division, 14th Army of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, was killed in the Yanzitou anti-bandit battle near the Yunxian-Lincang border in mid-June 1950.

Zhao Fushan, male, 22, from Weifang, Shandong Province, a soldier of the 2nd Battalion, 120th Regiment, 40th Division, 14th Army of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, was killed in the Xinhe anti-bandit battle in Dazhai in August 1950.

Deng Youcheng, male, 21, from Ye County, Henan Province, a soldier of the 2nd Battalion, 120th Regiment, 40th Division, 14th Army of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, was killed in the Yanzitou anti-bandit battle near the Yunxian-Lincang border in mid-June 1950.

Six other martyrs who were killed or slain by bandits are not buried here:

Zhang Youlin, male, 21, a public security officer from Chafang, Yunxian, was killed in the anti-bandit battle in Chafang on July 24, 1950.

Li Jiaqing, male, 16, a grain collection worker from Xiaojie, Yunxian, was killed by bandits on July 23, 1950.

Li Chaolong, male, 46, head of the Qiaojie Village Committee in Chafang Township, Yunxian, was killed by bandits on July 23, 1950, at the Xiaojie Xueyakou Pass.

Lu Yan, male, from Dali, Yunnan Province, a soldier of the Eighth Detachment of the Border Region Column and a grain collection worker, was killed by reactionary local tyrants during the bandit attack on the Chafang District government on August 9, 1950.

Shi Jiacao, male, 26, head of the Shijiacun Village Committee in Chafang Township, Yunxian, was kidnapped by bandits on August 9, 1950, and killed at the Muguah River in Yongbao.

Public security officer Huang Fazhi, male, 25 years old, from Chaifangqiao Street, Yun County, sacrificed his life on August 9, 1950, during the battle when bandits attacked the Chaifang District government.