Heyuan Zhongshan Park

Heyuan Zhongshan Park

In terms of scale and environmental facilities, Heyuan Zhongshan Park is arguably one of the best among the counties along the upper reaches of the Dongjiang River. Its spacious and flat square is likely unmatched by any other county. The vast square is covered in lush green grass, shaded by trees along its edges, and thoughtfully laid out with a 400-meter track, football field, athletic field, basketball court, volleyball court—perfect spots for athletes to train. The surrounding area is packed with other cultural and recreational amenities: cinemas, video rooms, and arcade game centers are abundant; the Cultural Center, Workers’ Cultural Palace, Youth Cultural Palace, Library, and TV relay station are all located nearby; complementary services such as photo studios, snack shops, book kiosks, and even restaurants have also found their ideal spots. Administrative offices for culture, education, and sports are also mostly situated here, yet the area doesn’t feel crowded. Because of this, except on cold and rainy days, the park is always bustling with pedestrians and visitors. Especially on summer evenings, the soft grass is dotted with groups of people cooling off, and under the flowers and moonlight, couples whispering sweet nothings can always be spotted.

This place was originally the East Drill Ground during feudal times, where the county selected martial arts students to take exams in Huizhou. After the imperial examination system was abolished in the 30th year of the Guangxu Emperor’s reign, it gradually fell into disuse. By the time of the warlord era, it was almost deserted. There’s a reason for that—locals say there used to be a Temple of the Five Grains, roughly built in the mid-Song Dynasty, though no one knows when it collapsed. In front of the temple was an execution ground for criminals, giving the area a grim atmosphere. Add to that the chaos of war, overgrown weeds, brambles, chilly winds, dew, and the eerie sight of glowing fireflies and wandering spirits—it’s no wonder people avoided the place.

The current eastern side of the square was originally the old city wall foundation of Xiacheng West Gate (the battlements are long gone). Inside the wall foundation stood the grand Chongbao Temple (now the site of the guesthouse), said to have been built during the Tang or Song Dynasty, once home to two or three hundred monks and thriving with incense offerings. During the May Fourth Movement, progressive youths drove out the remaining monks, destroyed the statues, and confiscated the temple’s land and grain stores to fund local schools. Later, after renovations, it served as the county government building.

By the autumn of 1929, Zhang Meixin (from Hepu County), then commander of the Fourth Division stationed in the county, Zhang Erchao (from Dongguan County), the county magistrate, and some local figures initiated the establishment of Zhongshan Park on the East Drill Ground. A preparatory committee was formed to oversee planning. Funding was raised through three channels: provincial government appropriations, tax surcharges, and donations from wealthy merchants and gentry. Land was soon leveled, and a cartload of unclaimed human remains was excavated that year (one set of remains bore the name Chen Guang, brother of warlord Chen Jiongming), which were reburied in a mass grave (near the park toilets today).

Construction then began according to the design plans: a football field, basketball court, and volleyball court were built, along with horizontal bars, sand pits, and a running track. A speaker’s platform was erected on the western side of the sports field, pedestrian walkways were developed on the east and west, lined with over 200 trees including eucalyptus, tung, willow, and kapok. Between 1929 and 1930, on the western side of the square, the Zhongshan Memorial Hall was built on the former site of the Five Grains Temple. Not far south of the memorial hall’s main entrance stood the People’s Education Hall and Guanjia Pavilion in sequence. Slightly west of the space between the memorial hall and the education hall, a lotus pond was dug, spanned by an arched bridge called Sanmin Bridge. West of Sanmin Bridge, facing Mingfeng Pavilion, a three-arch park gate was constructed, with the four large characters “Zhongshan Park” originally inscribed by Zhang Erchao. Between the bridge and the gate, as well as nearby, 20 mica stone benches donated by Ms. Chen Weiyan provided resting spots for visitors. And so, Zhongshan Park was completed. At the time, there were few auxiliary facilities—by the time of liberation, only a bamboo-shed open-air teahouse near the current indoor basketball court existed.

After liberation, the area underwent significant changes. The brick-and-wood Zhongshan Memorial Hall continued to be used as a venue for meetings and performances in the early years, but due to aging infrastructure and limited capacity, it was eventually demolished after the construction of a cinema and auditorium, replaced by a reinforced concrete Cultural Center (later repurposed as a Library). Guanjia Pavilion fell into disrepair for a time but has now been restored to its former glory at its original site. However, today’s Guanjia Pavilion is somewhat “misnamed”—you can no longer see any “crops” from atop it. Yet it’s far from lonely: children in colorful clothes come here daily to play “airplane” and “train,” while youths flock to roller-skate, play billiards, and enjoy arcade games, as the adjacent farmland has been transformed into the Youth Cultural Palace. Nearby to the south now stands the Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetery. The cemetery gate faces east, and just inside stands the nationally renowned statue of martyr Ruan Xiaoxian. Behind the statue, a path leads to the towering Revolutionary Martyrs’ Monument. The cemetery features pavilions, ponds, rockeries, lawns, serene winding paths, and lush willows—it’s truly a garden within a garden. It’s currently undergoing expansion, and its future form will surely surpass today’s—it’s bound to be described in another account when the time comes.

The previously mentioned Sanmin Bridge and lotus pond, having long since lost their water and flowers, had lost their charm and have now been filled in and demolished, replaced by a section of thoroughfare. The People’s Education Hall was later converted into the People’s Cultural Center, upgraded with new equipment, and after the new Cultural Center was built, it became the office of the Culture Bureau. However, after several expansions, it’s no longer the isolated little Western-style building it once was.

The sports field has undergone multiple expansions and renovations, completely transforming its appearance. Aside from two new cement-surfaced indoor basketball courts added at the northern end, the southern end has been extended, with the remnants of the old city wall foundation leveled after liberation. In the past, heavy rains would turn the area into a swamp, but after drainage ditches and culverts were installed, flooding became a thing of the past. At the southernmost part of the square, a large auditorium was built, while the speaker’s platform in the middle of the western side was replaced by a newer, more imposing one. The north, west, and south sides of the square were lined with straight cement steps, with additional stone steps on the north and west sides for spectators and visitors to sit and watch events. The roads on the east and west sides are no longer dirt paths—they were first paved with asphalt and are now smooth cement roads. The eucalyptus trees along the roadside have been replaced with casuarina, camphor, and Bauhinia trees, providing dense shade. In spring, when flowers bloom, the area turns a brilliant red, complementing the lush green grass of the square, making one exclaim, “The scenery here is truly unique.” The once-planted kapok trees, worthy of their “hero tree” title, stand tall above the dense casuarina, their bright red blossoms flourishing amidst the greenery.

Looking at today and recalling the past, Zhongshan Park has indeed undergone tremendous change, and its transformation is a microcosm of Heyuan’s rapid development. With the deepening of reform and opening up, and the advancement of socialist material and spiritual civilization, one can expect Zhongshan Park to become even more vibrant in the future.

Admission

Admission: 2 RMB, Memorial Hall: 5 RMB

Location

Wanxiu District, Wuzhou City, Guangxi Province

Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925), also known as Wen, courtesy name Zaizhi, art names Risshin and Yixian, childhood name Dixiang, alias Zhongshan Qiao, often went by the name Zhongshan. Born into a farming family in Cuiheng Village, Xiangshan County (now Zhongshan City), Guangdong Province. In his youth, influenced by the revolutionary traditions of the Guangdong people, he admired the Taiping Rebellion. He was a pioneer of China’s modern nationalist-democratic revolution, a great forerunner of the democratic revolution, the founder of the Republic of China and the Kuomintang, an advocate of the Three Principles of the People, and the creator of the Five-Power Constitution. He was the first to raise the banner of complete anti-feudalism... More details about Sun Yat-sen ++