Tomb of Martyr Li Yizhi

Tomb of Martyr Li Yizhi

The Tomb of Martyr Li Yizhi is located on the banks of the Dongjiang River at the entrance of Shangjiangcheng Village, Gaobu Town, Dongguan City.

Li Yizhi (1904–1940), also known as Baigen, was a native of Shangjiangcheng Village, Gaobu Town, Dongguan. In 1926, he was admitted to the Whampoa Military Academy, where he participated in the Northern Expedition during his studies. In the spring of 1937, he returned to his hometown to establish Dongpu Primary School, cultivating revolutionary talent.

In May 1938, Li Yizhi joined the Communist Party of China. In 1940, he served as a lieutenant colonel and operations section chief at the Dongjiang Guerrilla Command of the Fourth War Zone, as well as commander of the guerrilla core battalion. He successfully completed secret missions assigned by the Chinese Communist Party organization and made significant contributions to thwarting the attempts of diehard factions to eliminate the anti-Japanese armed forces of the Dongjiang people. On the early morning of December 12, 1940, while secretly carrying out anti-Japanese activities in the water towns of Dongguan, he was unfortunately arrested by Japanese troops. He was stabbed over ten times but remained steadfast and unyielding, dying a heroic death.

In December 1986, the Dongguan Municipal People’s Government built the Tomb of Martyr Li Yizhi next to the Dongjiang embankment in Shangjiangcheng and erected a monument for the martyr. In December 2004, as part of the embankment upgrading project, the Gaobu Town government relocated the tomb to the side of the village’s columbarium. The new tombstone is conical, standing over two meters tall, with the martyr’s portrait inlaid in ceramic tiles at the center. Below the portrait are six red-painted characters reading “Tomb of Martyr Li Yizhi.” The front of the tombstone base is inscribed with the martyr’s life story. The new site is close to the river and surrounded by open, flat terrain. (From Huang Zuobang, Gaobu Town Annals)

Shangjiangcheng Village: Located at the southernmost tip of Gaobu Town, Shangjiangcheng Village faces Dongcheng across the eastern branch of the Dongjiang River, enjoying a superior geographical location and excellent transportation links. Guanhuan Road runs through the village, and the municipal Li Chuan Bridge, currently under planning, will connect Shangjiangcheng directly to the urban area via the Dongjiang River, just a bridge away. This greatly boosts the village’s ten-year plan to “advance the redevelopment of old areas, develop high-end tertiary industries, and build a business-friendly and livable new countryside,” creating rare opportunities.

The village covers an area of 1.57 square kilometers. It has a registered population of 2,273 and over 18,700 new Dongguan residents, divided among seven villager groups... More details about Shangjiangcheng Village++