Martyrs Cemetery of Yu County

The Martyrs Cemetery is located at Dadutou Village, Xiaojiahui Township, forty li north of the county seat. It is a memorial site for anti-Japanese martyrs including Liu Guiyun and Chen Yisheng.

Martyr Liu Guiyun was born in Chaling County, Hunan Province in 1911. He joined the revolutionary cause at the age of seventeen and became a member of the Communist Party of China in 1929. Later he enlisted in the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, successively serving as squad leader, platoon leader, company commander and battalion commander. He took part in the world-famous 25,000-li Long March. During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, he was appointed regiment commander of the 19th Regiment, No.2 Sub-district of the Jincha Ji Border Region. Starting from 1942, his troops were stationed for a long time in the eastern and northern mountainous areas of Yu County. He sacrificed heroically in the battle at Tanyaoyan on October 10, 1943.

Martyr Chen Yisheng was born in Chaling County, Hunan Province in 1914. He joined the Communist Party of China in 1927 and the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army in 1931. He also participated in the epic 25,000-li Long March. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, he came to Yu County to establish an anti-Japanese base area and served as Secretary of the Central County Party Committee covering five counties: Yu, Ping, Yang, Shou and Yu. On December 7, 1937, he encountered enemy troops while inspecting work in Shouyang County. He fought a bloody battle until his last breath and laid down his life heroically.

To commemorate the immortal feats of the martyrs, in the autumn of 1944, the Yu-Yang County Government allocated 500 silver dollars to build tombs for Liu Guiyun, Chen Yisheng and other martyrs at Dadutou Village. Besides the monument erected for them, the stone tablet was also inscribed with the names of more than ten county-level military and political cadres who sacrificed their lives bravely in the anti-Japanese struggle. The cemetery was renovated by the county Party committee and county government in 1982