Liaoyang Martyrs' Cemetery

Liaoyang Martyrs' Cemetery

Liaoyang Martyrs' Cemetery is a classic red tourism destination, as well as a base for patriotic education and national defense education.

Liaoyang Martyrs' Cemetery was built in 1957 and is located on a high platform two kilometers south of the city, covering an area of 87,490 square meters. The main structures include: the Martyrs Monument, the Martyrs Memorial Hall office complex building, and the epitaph stele. The eight gilded characters on the Martyrs Monument "Eternal Glory to the Revolutionary Martyrs" are in the New Wei style, and the text of the epitaph stele was inscribed by Wen Tongchun, a renowned calligrapher from Liaoyang.

The Martyrs Monument was erected to commemorate the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the liberation of Liaoyang in 1948. In 1947, the Northeast People's Liberation Army had shifted from strategic defense to strategic offense. With a total force of 730,000 troops, the majority of the Nationalist army was compressed into several cities along the Middle–Changchun Railway and the Beining Railway. To deny the Nationalist forces any respite, the headquarters of the Northeast People's Liberation Army decided to launch an offensive first along the Shenyang–Jinzhou section of the Beining Railway, cutting off their supply lines to inland China, then shift forces south of Shenyang to attack and eliminate Nationalist troops in Liaoyang, Anshan, and Yingkou, thereby isolating the enemy in Shenyang. The Fourth Column, Sixth Column, and the Artillery Division of the Northeastern General Command were tasked with the Liaoyang Campaign. The entire operation was planned and commanded by the Fourth Column. On February 6, 1948, the assault on Liaoyang commenced; after 8 hours and 30 minutes, 5,142 soldiers including the Nationalist division commander Ma Zhe were captured, with a total of over 11,000 enemies eliminated. After the battle, Chairman Mao Zedong personally drafted a telegram to celebrate the victories in Liaoyang and Anshan.

In 1993, Liaoyang Martyrs' Cemetery was placed under provincial-level administration. In 1995, it was recognized by the Ministry of Civil Affairs as an "Advanced Unit in the Management of Martyrs’ Memorial Buildings." In 1997 and 2007, it was designated as a "Liaoning Provincial Patriotic Education Demonstration Base" by the Provincial Party Committee Propaganda Department, Provincial Department of Culture, Provincial Education Commission, and Provincial Civil Affairs Department. In 1998, it was named a "Liaoning Provincial National Defense Education Demonstration Base" by the Provincial National Defense Office. In the same year, it was rated as a "Garden-style Unit" by the city, and for many years has been honored as a "Civilized Unit" of the city.

The municipal Party committee and government have placed great emphasis on the construction of the Martyrs' Cemetery, carrying out multiple renovations and upgrades. In 1982, the municipal government invested 330,000 yuan to build the Martyrs Monument, the Martyrs Memorial Hall, and office facilities; in 1988, it invested 130,000 yuan to renovate the martyrs’ cemetery area and reorganize the exhibitions in the Martyrs Memorial Hall. In 1998, the municipal government invested 1.4 million yuan to increase the height of the 15.52-meter Martyrs Monument to 21 meters, clad it with granite flamed finish, renovated the martyrs' and revolutionary soldiers’ tombstones, reassembled the Martyrs Memorial Hall, and replaced the concrete brick pathways in the Monument Plaza and Martyrs Cemetery area with Xuanwu rock slab surfaces.

In 2006, the Municipal Development and Reform Commission approved a project investment of 6.01 million yuan for the Martyrs' Cemetery to expand the Monument Plaza, construct a new office complex building for the Memorial Hall, and arrange exhibitions in the display hall. In 2008, a new plaza for the Memorial Hall and a parking lot for the office were built. In recent years, the municipal government and the Provincial Civil Affairs Department have invested substantial funds to protect and maintain the facilities and memorial structures in the cemetery. Renovations included redesigning the entrance and surrounding wall cladding, expanding the site, and adding greenery and beautification features. The overall environment of the Martyrs' Cemetery has undergone significant improvements. During major holidays such as Tomb-Sweeping Day, July 1st, August 1st, and October 1st, nearly 30,000 visitors each year—including municipal Party, government, and military leaders, stationed troops, students, and citizens from all walks of life—come to visit and study here. The Martyrs' Cemetery has become an important base for the city’s people to receive education on revolutionary tradition, patriotism, and national defense. Its role as an educational base has been fully realized.

The martyrs' cemetery area is the burial site of 114 martyrs who died during the liberation of Liaoyang in 1948, and 65 martyrs who sacrificed their lives after the founding of the People’s Republic of China.