Tomb of the Sixty-Two Martyrs

On the west side of the middle section of the ancient road forest belt, at the entrance of Tianzhuang Village, stands a large circular concrete tomb containing the remains of sixty-two anti-Japanese martyrs. This is the well-known Tomb of the Sixty-Two Martyrs.

The tomb is surrounded by evergreen trees and lush grass all year round, backed by the dense forest along the ancient road. The tall grey stele pavilion in front of the tomb is covered with moss. The inscriptions on the stele recount a solemn and tragic chapter of history.

Around the Spring Festival of 1940, more than 5,000 Japanese invaders and puppet troops stationed in Handan, Linqing, Guanxian, Guantao, Qiu County, Quzhou and Weixian launched an iron-wall encirclement campaign against the anti-Japanese base area in western Shandong.

The 10th Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Regiment of the Anti-Japanese Advance Column, led by Battalion Political Instructor Sun Shusheng and Company Commander Wang Delin, fought for several days and suffered heavy casualties with more than half of the soldiers lost. Failing to break through the enemy blockade, the troops retreated to an earthen tower in Zhaoguanzhai on the west bank of the Wei River and held out against the enemy.

Unable to capture the tower after repeated assaults, the Japanese set it on fire. Choosing death over surrender, the heroes shouted battle cries and jumped into the flames, sacrificing their lives heroically.

After the battle, local villagers collected the remains of the sixty-two martyrs and buried them together here. For half a century, every year around the Qingming Festival when poplar catkins fly and pear blossoms bloom, people from nearby villages come to pay tribute to the heroic souls