Haifeng County Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery

Haifeng County Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery

Haifeng County Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery is a cultural tourism attraction and a classic red tourism destination.

Haifeng Martyrs' Cemetery is situated on Goudou Mountain in the western suburbs of Haifeng County, covering an area of 110,000 square meters. The main gate is a double-eaved, archway-style antique building with golden glazed tiles on the roof and walls clad in marble and mosaic tiles, giving it a majestic and magnificent presence. The horizontal plaque above the gate bears the four gilded characters “烈士陵园” (Martyrs’ Cemetery), inscribed by Ye Xuanping, Governor of Guangdong Province, featuring bold strokes and a well-structured layout. In front of the main gate lies a cemetery square extending 100 meters in both directions. Behind the main gate is a pathway flanked by lush pines, cypresses, various flowers, and two small lotus ponds, creating an atmosphere that is both solemn and serene as well as beautiful and grand. Ascending the steps along the pathway leads to the martyrs’ tombstone, which stands 7.5 meters high, 1.5 meters wide, and 0.9 meters thick, engraved with the five large characters “革命烈士墓” (Revolutionary Martyrs’ Tomb), each character measuring 85x50 cm, inscribed by Tao Zhu. Behind the tombstone is a burial chamber spanning 544 square meters, with a main structure of arched design, housing the remains and ashes of over 200 revolutionary martyrs who sacrificed their lives in various struggles, including Lin Tieshi, Yang Wang, Lin Su, and Huang Xinggan.

Haifeng County is one of China’s thirteen major red bases and a nationally renowned old Soviet area, often referred to as the “Little Moscow.” Proletarian revolutionaries such as Peng Pai, Xiao Chunu, Nie Rongzhen, Zhang Shanming, Dong Lang, Wu Zhenmin, and Cheng Zihua all sowed the seeds of revolution here. Under Peng Pai’s leadership, three armed uprisings in 1927 led to the establishment of the first workers’ and peasants’ revolutionary government in China—the Haifeng County Soviet Government. After the failure of the Great Revolution, the people of Haifeng, under the Party’s leadership, continued their prolonged guerrilla struggle, forging ahead one after another and making significant contributions to the cause of people’s liberation. Over 30,000 outstanding sons and daughters of Haifeng, along with more than a thousand Red Army soldiers and other revolutionaries from across the country, gave their precious lives selflessly. The martyrs whose remains and ashes are interred in this cemetery represent only a small portion of them. In addition, Haifeng County also has other memorials such as the Shagang Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetery, Ketang Revolutionary Martyrs’ Tomb, Huangqiang Revolutionary Martyrs’ Tomb, the Martyrs’ Tomb of the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces, and the Liberation War Revolutionary Martyrs’ Tomb in Meilong Town.

Haifeng Martyrs' Cemetery was established in 1963. On August 20, 1989, the State Council approved it as a National Key Martyrs’ Memorial Building Protection Unit. Currently, projects such as the Martyrs’ Roll of Honor and exhibition halls are still under construction. Haifeng Martyrs' Cemetery serves as an excellent site for commemorating the great achievements of the martyrs and providing revolutionary tradition education. It attracts a continuous stream of visitors for tours, tributes, and educational purposes, especially during the annual Qingming Festival when county and city leaders, government officials, teachers and students, and people from all walks of life come to pay their respects and lay wreaths.

Peng Pai (1896–1929)

Born into a wealthy landlord family in Haicheng Town, Haifeng County. He graduated from Waseda University in Japan in May 1921. After returning to China, he joined the Communist Youth League of China in Guangzhou and later became a member of the Chinese Communist Party. In the summer of 1921, he founded the “Socialist Research Society”; in 1922, he organized the “Red Heart Group” and published the “Red Heart Weekly”; on July 29 of the same year, he established China’s first peasant association—the famous Six-Person Peasant Association. He once served as the Chairman of the Haifeng County General Peasant Association, the Executive Chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Peasant Association, and the instructor at the Guangzhou Peasant Movement Institute... More details about Peng Pai++

Xiao Chunu, born in 1893 in Hanyang, Hubei. He participated in the May Fourth Movement in 1919. In August 1922, he joined the Chinese Communist Party and in November of the same year, founded Chongqing Public School. In June 1923, he became the chief columnist of the New Shu Newspaper, where the majority of the political commentaries and editorials published daily were written by him. At the same time, he frequently contributed articles to Guide and China Youth. His writings were sharp and highly combative, targeting not only “local warlords and military cliques” but also “denouncing corrupt officials,” to the extent that even newspapers controlled by reactionaries had to praise Xiao Chunu’s... More details about Xiao Chunu++