"Blood and Tears Shed on Huanghua" Monument

"Blood and Tears Shed on Huanghua" Monument

The "Blood and Tears Shed on Huanghua" Monument is a protected cultural relic site of Guangzhou City.

The "Blood and Tears Shed on Huanghua" Monument is located on the outer street of Huanghua Middleyue, Huanghua Road, Yuexiu District. The monument stands 1.71 meters tall and 0.76 meters wide. It was carved in July 1946 from granite.

At its center are the five large official script characters reading "Blood and Tears Shed on Huanghua," alongside inscriptions describing the Japanese bombing of Huanghuatang villagers. In the early stages of the War of Resistance Against Japan, before the fall of Guangzhou, Japanese imperialist aircraft carried out indiscriminate bombings across the city, destroying numerous homes and farmlands, and killing countless civilians. On May 30 and June 10, 1938, the Huanghuatang area in the suburbs of Guangzhou was bombed twice by enemy planes.

In 1946, after the victory of the War of Resistance, the villagers of Huanghuatang organized a "Memorial Service for the Fallen" and held a commemorative ceremony for the victims. They erected this stone monument at the bombing site to document the brutality of the Japanese invaders and the suffering endured by the villagers.

According to the Illustrated Records of Guangzhou’s Wartime Historical Sites, in order to occupy Guangdong, the Japanese military conducted air raids on Guangzhou starting from their first attack on August 31, 1937, until the city fell on October 21, 1938 — a total of 14 months of relentless bombing. Japanese aircraft conducted over 800 sorties over Guangzhou, dropping more than 10,000 bombs, killing and injuring over 5,000 civilians, and destroying thousands of homes. Between May 28 and June 9 alone — just 13 days — Japanese planes carried out over 340 sorties and more than 30 consecutive bombings of downtown Guangzhou, reducing the city to a ruin of rubble and corpses.

The relentless Japanese air raids on Guangzhou destroyed many homes and farmlands, and killed countless civilians. Not only did they cause massive loss of life and property, but they also severely damaged waterways, roads, and railways, paralyzing the entire city. A reporter for the Hong Kong-based English newspaper The China Mail wrote in a report: “I saw three schools that had been tragically bombed, one of which still had the bodies of dozens of children lying on the ground… I also saw a woman carrying her child on her back — the child had been dead for some time, yet the grieving mother could not bear to put the child down, holding him while weeping bitterly; I also saw a child sitting beside a dead cat, crying, unaware that he was the sole survivor of his eight family members… the rest of his family had been buried under the rubble.”

On May 30 and June 10, 1938, Huanghuatang — then located along what is now Huanghua Road — was bombed twice during nighttime air raids by 16 enemy planes. The entire village was hit, with over a hundred residents killed or injured. After the victory of the War of Resistance, in 1946, the villagers organized a "Memorial Service for the Fallen," held a commemoration for the victims, and erected a stone monument at the bombing site. The front of the monument bears the five large characters "Blood and Tears Shed on Huanghua." The inscriptions immortalize the atrocities of the Japanese army and record the tragic suffering of the villagers. In August 1993, the Guangzhou Municipal Government designated the monument as a municipal-level cultural relic protection site, ensuring that future generations remember this history and the hardships endured.

Inscription

Since the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, the dwarfish invaders have rampaged, wantonly bombing our people and invading our land. Their brutal actions are utterly appalling. Our village, unfortunately, was bombed by enemy planes at noon on the second day of the fifth lunar month in the 27th year of the Republic of China (1938), hitting the southern part of the village; then again around 9 p.m. on the 13th of the same month, when the central part near the village gate was heavily bombed. These two attacks killed and injured over a hundred people, leaving fields, homes, and ancestral graves reduced to desolate mounds — a scene of utter devastation. In the 27th year of the Republic (1938), Guangdong fell to the enemy, and the malevolent atmosphere grew even thicker. Our village, located in the suburbs of the city, was occupied by the enemy. Though living under the iron heel of the invaders, our villagers, who have always understood righteousness, felt nothing but grief and hatred. During the eight years of occupation, who knows how much more we suffered? Now, fortunately, the enemy has been defeated and our land liberated. As reconstruction begins, to honor the loyal souls and inspire the living, we have engraved this stone to record these events. It is titled "Blood and Tears Shed on Huanghua," as an eternal memorial.

The 35th Year of the Republic of China, Seventh Month

Erected by the Memorial Service for the Fallen

In August 1993, it was designated by the Guangzhou Municipal People's Government as a Cultural Relic Protection Unit in the Fourth Batch of Guangzhou Municipal Cultural Relics.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Guangzhou Municipal Cultural Relic Protection Units