Zhao Shangzhi Memorial Hall

Zhao Shangzhi Memorial Hall

The Zhao Shangzhi Memorial Hall is a classic red tourism destination, as well as a base for patriotic education and national defense education.

The Zhao Shangzhi Memorial Hall is located on Section 2 of Zhongshan Avenue, Shuangta District, Chaoyang City, Liaoning Province. The construction of the memorial hall began on September 23, 2007, and was completed and opened to the public on October 25, 2008. It covers a building area of 5,900 square meters, with an exhibition area of 4,000 square meters. It was designed and built by the Shenyang Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts. The Zhao Shangzhi Memorial Hall is a comprehensive facility integrating commemoration, collection, research and preservation, exhibitions, and patriotic education. The entire building has a square rectangular layout, and when viewed from above, the floor plan forms a square-shaped Chinese character “Shang” (尚). The memorial hall is 11 meters high, with a front facade that is 34 meters long.

Exhibition Area

The Zhao Shangzhi Memorial Hall takes promoting the spirit of Shangzhi as its theme and follows the revolutionary and combat experiences of Zhao Shangzhi as its main thread. Through physical objects, paintings, photographs, scene reconstructions, and modern technological methods, it tells the tragic yet legendary life story of General Zhao Shangzhi.

Frieze in the Foyer

The foyer features a large-scale relief sculpture titled “National Spirit,” depicting the magnificent history of the Chinese people’s brave fight against Japanese imperialism in their struggle for national independence and liberation from September 1931 to September 1945.

Exhibits in the Foyer

The exhibition space is divided into upper and lower levels, and the basic display of the memorial hall is organized into eight sections:

Section 1: A Family of Loyalty and Righteousness, A Youth of Strong Character

This section mainly introduces the hero’s hometown and the “family of martyrs” of the Zhao family.

Section 2: In Search of Truth, Joining the Revolution

This section describes how Zhao Shangzhi studied at Xugong Middle School in Harbin. At the end of 1925, he was admitted to the fourth phase of the Whampoa Military Academy as a recruit. Shortly after joining the revolutionary movement, he was imprisoned twice and spent nearly four years behind bars.

Section 3: Armed Resistance Against Japan, Resounding Might Across Northern Manchuria

On September 18, 1931, Japanese imperialism launched the shocking “September 18th Incident.” Resisting Japan and saving the nation became the most urgent demand of the Chinese people at the time. It was during this period that Zhao Shangzhi grew into a national hero of the anti-Japanese resistance, creating the brilliance of his last ten years of life. The following Sections 4 and 5 recount the major military exploits of Zhao Shangzhi as an outstanding military commander.

Section 4: White Mountains and Black Waters, The Iron-Blooded Third Army

Section 5: Leading Troops and Schools, Strategy in Both Civil and Military Affairs

Section 6: Facing Setbacks, Remaining Loyal and Unyielding

Zhao Shangzhi’s life was extremely tortuous and fraught with hardship. He not only faced enemy arrests and encirclement but also endured pressure and injustice from within the Party. Twice in his life, he was wrongly expelled from the Party. It was not until 1982, 40 years after his death, that the Heilongjiang Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China reinstated his Party membership.

Section 7: The General’s Tragedy, Blood Staining the Phoenix Trees

This section primarily uses a large-scale holographic imaging system to depict the entire process of General Zhao Shangzhi’s sacrifice.

Section 8: The Soul of China, His Spirit Lives On

After Zhao Shangzhi’s death, his great achievements and revolutionary spirit have been celebrated by generations. This section shows how people have commemorated this great national hero in various ways, and how it took 62 years of searching before his skull was finally found.

The entire exhibition uses photographs, physical objects, paintings, scene reconstructions, and modern technological methods. It incorporates interactive, experiential, and restorative techniques, fully considering the viewing habits of modern audiences and enhancing the sense of presence. The exhibition employs slides, sound effects, and holographic imaging to provide detailed interpretations of key battles such as derailing a Japanese military train, attacking Binxian with wooden cannons, the Battle of Bingtangzi, and the final battle—vividly recreating Zhao Shangzhi’s glorious image of unyielding resistance and indomitable spirit. A full tour along the exhibition route takes approximately 90 minutes.

Zhao Shangzhi was born in October 1908 in Chaoyang County, Liaoning Province. In 1919, he moved with his family to Harbin and became involved in student activism at an early age. In the summer of 1925, he joined the Communist Party of China, becoming one of the earliest party members in the Northeast. That winter, he was sent by the Party to Guangzhou to study at the fifth phase of the Whampoa Military Academy, where he also joined the Young Soldiers’ League under the leadership of the Communist Party. In May 1926, due to his dissatisfaction with Chiang Kai-shek’s instigation of the “Zhongshan Warship Incident” and the “Reorganization of Party Affairs,” he resolutely withdrew from the Whampoa Military Academy. Following the Party’s instructions, he returned to Harbin to participate in revolutionary activities... More details about Zhao Shangzhi ++