Xunhua Martyrs' Cemetery

　　The Xunhua Salar Autonomous County Martyrs' Cemetery is situated in Gacuo Village, east of Xunhua County. It was moved to its present location in October 2009. Constructed in August 1955, it was initially located on Tianchi North Road in Xunhua County and expanded in October 2010, merging with the Second Army Memorial Hall.

　　The cemetery covers an area of 5,500 square meters, including 1,079.3 square meters of building space, 542.3 square meters for the burial area, and 1,709 square meters of plaza. Facilities within the cemetery include exhibition halls for both the martyrs and the Second Army, as well as a reception room. It also features monuments such as the Martyrs’ Memorial Tower, the Second Army Memorial Tower, and the “Hero Rescues Hero” sculpture commemorating the Second Army’s daring crossing of the Yellow River. Supporting infrastructure such as flower beds, plaza lighting, running water, and drainage systems have also been installed.

　　The cemetery is the final resting place for 98 martyrs — People's Liberation Army soldiers from Company 1, Battalion 1, Regiment 1, Division 1, Army 1, who valiantly sacrificed their lives during the suppression of a rebellion in Chajia Gully, Jiezi Town, Xunhua County on December 13, 1949, along with local officials. It also houses the remains of 15 martyrs who died quelling an armed rebellion in Gangcha Township and Wendu, Xunhua County in April 1958. Additionally, three martyrs who died after 1958 are buried here. There are now a total of 116 martyr tombs, all designed in a Western-style with integrated tombstones and plaques.

　　On December 13, 1949, in the early days following the liberation of Qinghai, remnants of the Kuomintang and bandit forces colluded with local landlords and tyrants to launch a rebellion in Chajia Gully, Jiezi. Their aim was to overthrow the newly established people’s government. Under the leadership of Deputy Company Commander Song Cheng, Kang Fenglin, Secretary of the First District Committee of the CPC Xunhua County, and District Chief Li Laiquan, soldiers from Company 1, Battalion 1, Regiment 1, Division 1, Army 1 of the PLA, along with local cadres, fought bravely through the night to defend the nascent government. They successfully suppressed the rebellion, fulfilling their solemn duty to the people and safeguarding the fruits of the revolution. However, in the battle, 98 brave souls, including Deputy Company Commander Song Cheng, Secretary Kang Fenglin, and District Chief Li Laiquan, made the ultimate sacrifice.

　　On April 18, 1958, hidden reactionary elements in Gangcha and Wendu, Xunhua County, conspired with local reactionary officers, landlords, and other hostile forces to attempt to overthrow the people’s government by instigating an armed rebellion. By April 23, the rebels had advanced to the outskirts of the county. In response, local officials and people of all ethnic groups in Xunhua organized militias and, using the city walls as fortification, fiercely resisted the insurgents. After holding their ground for two days and nights, they joined forces with the 163rd Regiment of the 55th Division, 19th Army of the PLA on April 25 to defeat the enemy and put down the rebellion. Fifteen government officials and militiamen were killed in the fighting.

　　On August 26, 1949, after the PLA captured Lanzhou, the Second Army of the First Corps, under the command of Corps Commander and Political Commissar Wang Zhen, was ordered to advance into Qinghai. They crossed the 3,800-meter-high Daliujia Mountain and defeated stubborn resistance from Ma Bufang and Han Qigong’s forces. On August 27, 1949, they liberated Xunhua. With assistance from local residents of various ethnicities, the Second Army crossed the Yellow River at several points in Xunhua, including Gushiqun Gorge, Yimoumu, and Caotanba, pursuing retreating enemies and advancing toward Xining. During the river crossing, 15 soldiers, including Company Commander Zhao Hongsheng of the 2nd Battalion, 13th Regiment, 5th Division of the Second Army, sacrificed their lives to secure the liberation of the people of all ethnicities in Qinghai.

　　In March 1989, the Qinghai Provincial People’s Government erected the Chinese People’s Liberation Army First Corps Second Army Memorial Hall on the north bank of the Yellow River Bridge in Yimoumu, Jishi Town, Xunhua County, one of the sites where the Second Army crossed the Yellow River. Due to national key construction projects, the memorial hall was relocated in October 2010 to Gacuo Village, east of Xunhua County, where it was merged with the Xunhua Martyrs’ Cemetery.

　　Source: Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People’s Republic of China