Mausoleum of the 72 Martyrs

 

 

Huanghuagang Uprising (黄花岗起义) happened before the Xinhai Democratic Revolution in 1911. In April that year, Huang Xing of The Chinese Revolutionary League, led about 120 men to storm the government office of Guangdong and Guangxi in Guangzhou (Canton). However, the Qing Dynasty government knew the attack in advance, so the army was well-prepared. The revolutionary forces failed to occupy the office and 86 of the soldiers were killed. Huang Xing was wounded. He escaped to Hong Kong and 72 of the death soldiers' body were buried in Honghuagang (红花岗) at the east of Guangzhou. Hong means Red and Huang is Yellow in Chinese, also the surname of the leader, in memory of the martyrs in the unsuccessful revolution, Honghuagang changed to Huanghuagang.

 

 

 

 

The Mausoleum of the 72 Martyrs, built in 1921 to commemorate the event happened ten years ago, has the memorial inscription "Long Life to the Noble Spirit" (浩气长存, Hao Qi Chang Cun) by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of modern China. It has a total area of 160,000 square meters. The long aisle with stone tablets erected along takes you to mausoleum, which is a pavilion standing with the tomb for the martyrs sacrificed in the Huanghuagang Uprising erected. In the house behind, you will see the story of the heroic event, the building process of the mausoleum and the list of the 86 sacrificed soldiers.