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Mengzi Nanhu Revolutionary Martyrs Monument
Mengzi, Yunnan, China
On the western bank of Mengzi's Nanhu Lake, where the water once existed as a wild marshland called Caohai, stands a solemn stone carving monument erected in 1961. This structure occupies a quiet plaza of 109.18 square meters, framed by the rustle of tall coconut and palm trees and the scent of manicured flowerbeds. It honors the early leaders of the Yunnan underground Communist Party, including Du Tao, Li Xin, Wu Cheng, Ju Bonian, and Dai Deming, alongside those who fell during the 1953 counter-banditry campaigns in Southern Yunnan.
The monument connects directly to the physical actions of these historical figures. In 1926, Du Tao rowed across these same waters, using the quiet lake as a clandestine meeting place to organize revolutionary activities. Decades later, in 1961, stonemasons chiseled these names into the heavy rock, leaving deep, permanent grooves that visitors can touch today. The cool, grey stone stands in quiet dialogue with the nearby historic sites of the 1889 customs house and the 1938 Southwest Joint University branch where Wen Yiduo taught.
Today, the local government enforces strict height limits on surrounding buildings to preserve the monument's open sky. During the Qingming Festival and National Martyrs' Day, school children, police officers, and soldiers gather here to lay fresh flowers against the stone base. The monument remains a quiet anchor in the park, surrounded by the gentle lapping of the lake and the seasonal bloom of red phoenix flowers.