Hainan Revolutionary Martyrs Monument

　　The Hainan Revolutionary Martyrs Monument is a patriotic education base and a revolutionary tradition education base for teenagers in Hainan Province and Haikou City. It is situated at No. 2 Gongyuan Road, Haikou People's Park, Haikou City. The managing authority is the Haikou Civil Affairs Bureau.

　　The Hainan Revolutionary Martyrs Monument was built in April 1954 to commemorate over 20,000 martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the Qiongya revolutionary struggle and the heroic cross-sea battles. It was renovated in 2003 with special funds allocated by the local government. The monument covers an area of 0.8 mu (approximately 0.053 hectares) with a building area of 36 square meters. It is constructed from large granite blocks and surrounded by stone railings, taking the shape of a tetrahedron. The monument stands 14.5 meters tall in total, with the main body rising 11 meters. On the front of the monument is inscribed “Eternal Glory to the Revolutionary Martyrs.” The front of the base and the back of the monument bear the inscription by Comrade Zhu De: “To those comrades who persisted in the long-term revolutionary struggle on Qiong Island and valiantly crossed the sea to fight—You are the finest sons and daughters of the Chinese nation. Your heroic deeds played an indelible role in the liberation of Qiong Island and all of China. The merits of the martyrs will live forever!” The surroundings of the monument are shaded by lush trees, with tall pines and cypresses adding a solemn and respectful atmosphere to this revolutionary landmark.

　　 In the second half of 1949, over 100,000 troops of the Kuomintang army retreated from various parts of mainland China to Qiong Island, constructing a three-dimensional defense line encompassing land, sea, and air in an attempt to block the People’s Liberation Army from liberating Hainan. With the support of the Qiongya Column, more than 100,000 soldiers from the 40th and 43rd Armies of the Fourth Field Army of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, along with artillery and engineering units, swiftly formed a cross-sea combat corps in accordance with instructions from the Central Military Commission and Chairman Mao Zedong, and began preparing for battle. Starting on March 5, 1950, the corps organized two reinforced battalions and two reinforced regiments, staging two batches of four successful covert crossings to reinforce the Qiongya Column. On April 16, the main force of the corps formed two echelons and crossed the Qiongzhou Strait head-on aboard wooden sailing ships. With strong support from the Qiongya Column and the advance landing forces, they broke through the enemy’s defenses west of Haikou to Lingao Cape, landed in large numbers, then advanced inland, and decisively fought against the enemy in Huangzhu and Meiting, Chengmai, annihilating the main enemy forces. On April 23, Haikou was liberated. Subsequently, the landing forces and the Qiongya Column split into eastern, central, and western routes to pursue fleeing enemies to the south. On May 1, the entire island was declared liberated.

　　This campaign eliminated over 33,000 enemy troops, while our army also paid a tremendous price, with over 4,500 casualties. It marked the first instance in the history of world revolutionary warfare where wooden boats defeated warships, writing a glorious chapter in the history of the Chinese people’s revolutionary struggle.

　　

　　Source: Party History Research Office of the Hainan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China