Baoji-Tianshui Railway Martyrs' Memorial Hall

　　The Baoji-Tianshui Railway Martyrs' Memorial Hall is situated within Yan Emperor Park in downtown Baoji City, Shaanxi Province. It is a key martyr memorial structure protected at the municipal level in Baoji, and is administered by the Baoji Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau.

　　The memorial hall was first built in 1980, covering an area of over 4,000 square meters, with a construction area of 1,379 square meters, including an exhibition space of 640 square meters. Green areas account for 61% of the total space. It is the only revolutionary martyrs' memorial structure under municipal protection in the urban area. In 1995, it was designated as a “Patriotic Education Base” by both the provincial party committee and the municipal party committee and government. In 2004, it was named a “National Defense Education Base” by the Shaanxi Provincial People’s Government and a “Young Pioneers’ Educational Practice Base” by the Communist Youth League Committee of Shaanxi Province. On average, it receives more than 60 visiting groups and over 30,000 visitors annually.

　　The Baoji-Tianshui Railway is a section of the Longhai Railway line. Although only 153 kilometers long, it passes through 126 tunnels, more than 610 culverts, and 97 large and small bridges. Before the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Nationalist government had spent massive manpower, material resources, and funds over six years but ultimately failed to officially open the railway. In 1950, Peng Dehuai, then Chairman of the Northwest Military and Political Committee, made a decisive decision to rebuild the Baoji-Tianshui Railway, forming a construction team consisting of approximately 50,000 soldiers from the 19th Army Corps of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. During the construction process, the soldiers overcame numerous challenges, battling extreme cold and intense heat, living in the open air, and ultimately, 56 comrades sacrificed their precious lives. The Baoji-Tianshui Railway was completed in just eight months, fully restoring the vital east-west artery of the nation.

　　To commemorate the 19th Army Corps of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army for building the Baoji-Tianshui section of the railway, in 1953 the Baoji Municipal People’s Government erected the Monument to the 19th Army Corps of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and the Shaanxi Military District for Constructing the Baoji-Tianshui Section of the Northwest Railway. The monument faces the Longhai and Baocheng railways, with exhibition rooms on both sides, surrounded by pine and cypress trees, giving it a solemn and respectful atmosphere. The monument is 24 meters high, with inscriptions by Peng Dehuai and others engraved around the base, including a commemorative text by General Wang Shitai, and the names of the 56 martyrs who heroically sacrificed their lives in the construction of the railway. In 1980, the Baoji Municipal People’s Government renovated the Martyrs' Memorial Hall. A new name plaque reading “Baoji-Tianshui Railway Martyrs' Memorial Hall” was inscribed. In March 2002, with the approval of the Municipal Organization Committee, the “Baoji Revolutionary Martyrs' Memorial Hall” was established. The exhibition was redesigned and the Baoji Revolutionary Martyrs' Memorial Hall was newly built. The layout of the memorial hall centers around the monument, with two major exhibition halls to the east and west, surrounded by lush greenery and well-vegetated surroundings.

　　In September 2006, the Baoji Municipal People’s Government renovated the monument, adding eight large titanium characters reading “The People’s Heroes Live Forever” in Mao-style calligraphy on the southern face of the monument. Currently, the site operates under two titles but a single organizational structure, and is administered by the Baoji Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau.

　　To continuously enhance the social impact and educational inspiration of the memorial hall, over the years the site has actively raised funds for large-scale facility upgrades, redesigned its exhibitions, and successively added promotional displays such as “Liberating Northwest China” and “Exhibition of 100 Martyrs,” further expanding its educational content.

　　Most of the collections in the hall are gathered from the history of the 64th Army. These mainly include: precious photos, newspapers from the time, commendation meeting records, and other historical materials. The stories and photos of the martyrs were collected through field visits and oral histories.