Memorial to the Victims of the Massacre Committed by Japanese Invaders

Memorial to the Victims of the Massacre Committed by Japanese Invaders

The Memorial to the Victims of the Massacre Committed by Japanese Invaders is a cultural tourism attraction and a patriotic education base.

Memorial to the Victims of the Massacre Committed by Japanese Invaders

On September 12, 1937, the Japanese Dongtiao Brigade and the puppet Mongolian troops invaded Tianzhen City through a gap in the northeast corner of the city wall. They split into three groups to massacre residents. One group of Japanese soldiers moving westward along the northern city wall intercepted over 300 residents attempting to flee the city at the North Gate, herding them into the Moon City and the Granny Temple there, where they were stabbed to death one by one with bayonets. Only Hou Ming from Northwest Street survived as he was not fatally wounded. In the afternoon, this same group of Japanese soldiers captured over 500 residents from East Street and North Street, herding them to a small ditch outside the North Gate. They were then bayoneted and thrown into the ditch in batches—none survived. Wang Zhenwen’s father, uncle, and cousin were all stabbed to death here. He himself was stabbed once in the left shoulder and twice under the right rib but managed to escape that night with Wang Jun, who had also survived being stabbed. Another group of Japanese soldiers moving southward along the eastern city wall went door-to-door in South Street, rounding up adult men. They sent batches of captives to the Ma Wang Temple in South Street, then herded them into the temple to be massacred. Finding it difficult to stab people through their clothes, the Japanese forced them to strip off their upper garments. After the temple courtyard’s manure pit and sweet potato cellar were filled with corpses, the Japanese forced the living to drag the dead into the houses, then stabbed to death those who had carried the corpses. They stopped only when three hollowed-out houses could no longer hold any more bodies. One group of Japanese soldiers drove over 200 adult men in West Street to the front of Yunjin Store, set up two machine guns on a high ground, and opened fire wildly on the crowd. Over 200 people fell, shot one after another. Then, this same group captured another 100+ people, herded them to the south side of the West City Gate, and stabbed them all to death. On September 13, the Japanese searched the city again and captured over 500 more residents, marching them to the air-raid trench dug by the Shanxi Army at the North Street drill grounds. They were mowed down in batches by machine gun fire—none of the 500+ survived. Sisters Liu Yinlan and Liu Yulan from West Street were raped and subsequently hanged themselves. A 15-year-old girl was raped, then had her legs grabbed by several Japanese soldiers who tore her body in half, killing her gruesomely. He Yue’e, a 20-year-old from Northwest Street, resisted rape and was brutally murdered by the Japanese. In just two days, the Japanese slaughtered over 2,000 innocent civilians in Tianzhen City.

To never forget this day, to never forget the history of a weak nation invaded by Japan, and to never forget those who perished, the Tianzhen County Party Committee and County Government renovated the “Memorial to the Victims of the Massacre Committed by Japanese Invaders in Tianzhen,” with the following inscription:

From September 12 (the eighth day of the eighth lunar month) to September 14, 1937, are days that the people of Tianzhen City and County can never forget—days of national humiliation and family vengeance.

During those three days, the Japanese troops mercilessly bayoneted, stabbed, shot, bombed, hacked, suffocated, raped, drowned, dismembered, and burned our fellow citizens, our loved ones—at the northeast corner of Tianzhen City, inside the North Gate barbican, at the Ma Wang Temple in South Street, at the Yunjin Store in West Gate, at the Frost God Temple in North Gate, at the drill grounds in Northeast Street, and in countless homes.

During those three days, the Japanese brutally slaughtered over 2,000 innocent villagers, among whom 1,248 were identified by name, while 750 were from households that perished entirely or were outsiders without known identities.

To never forget this day, to never forget the history of a weak nation invaded by Japan, and to never forget those who perished, on June 1, 1946, the “August 8th” Tragedy Committee of the Anti-Japanese Democratic Government of Dingchou built the Tianzhen County Martyrs Memorial Tower within the East Gate barbican. The names of 1,240 victims were engraved on the monument, with a preface and an account of the origin, written in earnest and filled with deep emotion. It mourned the dead and consoled their spirits; it warned the living to stay vigilant and strive for strength, never forgetting to avenge the shame. In the years that followed, people often held commemorative ceremonies during Qingming Festival, August 8th, or June 1st. In 1972, the Tianzhen County Revolutionary Committee, due to urban development needs, moved the tower to the north side of the bridge at the eastern end of the Nanyang River in the county town. Due to dust pollution and vibrations, in 1986, the county government relocated it to its current site, rebuilt the foundation, installed new fencing, and greatly improved the surroundings, earning praise from local residents.

Today, in the 21st century, the County Party Committee and County Government regard it as an excellent site for patriotic education, listing it as one of the cultural landscapes in Yanghe Park. They renovated it and renamed it the “Memorial to the Victims of the Massacre Committed by Japanese Invaders in Tianzhen,” preserving its original style while adding new meaning.

Remembering the past is the guide for the future. This memorial not only enriches the park with deep historical and cultural significance but also stands as a solemn bell, tolling continuously to add a new rhythm to life and leave a radiant hue in the local culture of Tianzhen.

Address: Northeast corner of Tianzhen County, Datong City, Shanxi Province