The Yuhuatai Martyrs' Cemetery is situated
outside of Zhonghuamen in Nanjing, Jiangsu
Province.
Yuhuatai, originally called Shizitang
(hillock of small stones), is about 100 meters high and 3,500 meters long. The
cemetery's name is derived from a time when Buddhism was very popular during the
Liang Dynasty (502-557) of the Southern Dynasty (420-589): a master named
Yunguang, who preached sermons on top of the hill, moved the gods, who made
flowers fall from heaven.
From the April 12th Coup of 1927, however,
the place became an execution ground where many communists and patriots were
killed by the Kuomintang reactionaries. In 22 years, about 100,000 communists,
workers, peasants, intellectuals and other revolutionists and patriots
sacrificed their lives for the country at Yuhuatai. In 1950, the cemetery was
founded at Yuhuatai in honor of the martyrs.
The cemetery consists of the main peaks and five other
hillocks covering 54.2 hectares. There are two stone pillars standing in front
of the gate at 11.7 meters in height, symbolizing the way of the Russian October
Revolution. Inside there is a spacious square and flower terraces. A
6.8-meter-high monument stands on the main peak with the engravings: Long
Live Revolutionary Martyrs
, written by Mao Zedong himself. At
the spot where the martyrs were killed are also a Revolutionary Martyrs Dying
Place archway and other memorial structures.
Tombs for the martyrs can be found at the
western execution place in the western hillock and at the eastern execution
place a memorial pavilion has been set up for the martyrs. At the northern part,
a 14.2-by-10.3-meter sculpture in umber granite depicting Party members, an
intellectual, a worker, a peasant, a soldier -- nine martyrs in total --
represents the martyrs' noble spirit and moral courage. At the foot of the
eastern main peak, the Exhibition Hall for the Martyrs' Revolutionary Historical
Deeds features photographs, wills, relics and other revolutionary cultural
materials.