Deteriorating memorials will be repaired or even relocated

Beijing is to launch its first census to find the forgotten graves of fallen Communist heroes, it was announced this week.

The survey, which will be carried out through April, is aimed at listing the locations of all unregistered memorials for martyrs citywide and evaluating the damage caused by years of insufficient protection.

Depending on their condition, the relics, which range from graves, statues and pavilions to towers and columbaria, will be repaired or moved to a better cemetery in the capital by September 2014, according to the civil affairs bureau, which is in charge of the project.

"Every martyr deserves respect from later generations, as well as a quiet, maintained place to rest in peace," said Li Jing, a spokeswoman for the bureau on Monday.

Although many heroes are already interred at revolutionary cemeteries like Babaoshan, others are commemorated with long-forgotten and rundown tombs, she said.

Li added: "It's a pity that their names and deeds are fading in our memories at the same rate their monuments are deteriorating."

Liu Zhe, deputy secretary-general of the China Association of Oriental Culture Studies, told METRO that she feels the mission to protect martyrs' memorials is urgent because "they are the best history books".

"By protecting the monuments, we show respect for history and learn from it," she said. "I was so sad to see the serious state of Qi Genghuan's tomb. He was one of the pioneers of the 1911 revolution on Yuhuang Peak. As the 100th anniversary of the great revolution draws near, I wonder when Qi's tomb will be restored."

Like fellow historians, she said she now hopes the census is followed by detailed draft measures on how to improve the management of cemeteries, including a re-evaluation of the funds, supervision methods and efficiency of repairs.

"With the government's efforts and civil groups taking an active part in the cause, the maintenance of martyrs' memorial facilities will greatly improve and their stories will live on for longer," added Liu.

To mark the start of the new project, the municipal civil affairs bureau and Chaoyang district government recently joined forces to relocate the tombs of 29 unknown martyrs to Changqingyuan Cemetery in the east of the capital.

Official statistics show that 13,000 people have been classified as "martyrs" in Beijing since 1949. The majority died in battle, while the rest were killed trying to save others or protect national and collective assets. The capital has three national-level cemeteries for martyrs - Pingbei in Yanqing county, Pingxi in Fangshan district and Li Dazhao in Haidian district - and more than 150 national or municipal-level memorials.

The census project will be carried out nationwide and initial reports will be filed by the end of June. About 20 million people were killed in socialist revolutions following the beginning of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-1945), although only 1.8 million of them are in registered graves, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.