Jiayi Martyrs Cemetery in Yanshan County, Wenshan
Chinese Name: 砚山县稼依烈士宫
English Name: Jiayi Martyrs Cemetery in Yanshan County, Wenshan
Overview
The Jiayi Martyrs Cemetery, located within Jiayi Town (specifically within the grounds of Yanshan No. 2 Middle School), was established in 1951. The cemetery spans an area of 10,912 square meters and serves as a memorial to the 236 soldiers of the 116th Regiment of the 13th Army of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who sacrificed their lives during the early years of the People’s Republic of China. These soldiers played a crucial role in eradicating the remaining counter-revolutionary forces in the Yuxi, Honghe, and Wenshan regions between 1950 and 1951.
History
In the early 1950s, following the successful campaigns to eliminate the bandits in the aforementioned regions, the surviving members of the 116th Regiment sought to honor their fallen comrades. With approval from higher authorities and in collaboration with local officials, they established the Jiayi Martyrs Cemetery using the facilities of the former Jiayi Kaibin Reclamation Bureau as the martyr’s palace.
A large, 2.1-meter-tall, 1.1-meter-wide, bluestone monument was erected in the cemetery, engraved with an inscription summarizing the campaign and listing the names of the 236 martyrs who perished in the operations.
Development and Preservation
In 1960, the Yanshan County People’s Government allocated special funds for the renovation of the cemetery, which included the addition of three new single-story, tile-roofed buildings. The central building serves as a memorial hall, where a commemorative monument is prominently displayed. On either side of the memorial hall, two identical single-story buildings function as exhibition rooms, housing the personal belongings of the martyrs and other related historical artifacts.
In 1999, the Jiayi Martyrs Cemetery was designated as a county-level cultural relic protection unit by the Yanshan County People’s Government. Further renovations were carried out in 2003, with the government providing funds to refurbish the main hall.
Location
The Jiayi Martyrs Cemetery is located within Jiayi Town, Yanshan County, Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan Province, specifically within the grounds of Yanshan No. 2 Middle School.
