Commemorating martyrs and CPC's 100th anniversary
A ceremony paying tribute to martyrs and commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China was held today in Qingpu District — ahead of Sunday's Qingming Festival — that included the launch of an online platform.
The New Fourth Army online commemoration platform is based on New Fourth Army Square at Fushouyuan Cemetery.
The first of its kind in China, the online memorial platform contains information about 7,675 New Fourth Army soldiers whose names are engraved on a commemoration wall at the cemetery. It also features memorial halls for military leaders such as Ye Ting (1896-1946), a military strategist and the first commander of the New Fourth Army, Chen Yi (1901-1972), Shanghai's first mayor and a commander of the New Fourth Army, and General Su Yu (1907-1984).
On the platform, people can upload photos — and even microfilms — of New Fourth Army soldiers and make virtual tomb sweepings, said Li Jingheng, a cemetery employee.
Built in 2005, the New Fourth Army Square is a "red" tourism base in the city that receives more than 400,000 visits annually.
A total of 1,870 soldiers have been laid to rest in the square.
Videos of five living New Fourth Army soldiers between the ages of 93 and 100 were screened during the ceremony, while people mourned and bowed in tribute.
Two former New Fourth Army soldiers, Feng Guoliang, 95, and Liu Tiantong, 91, attended the ceremony.
“The ceremony carries a special memory which makes me recall the past," said Feng.
"Many of my army friends have passed away, and I visit the cemetery every year to pay tribute to them," said Liu. "I will be buried here as well. We were friends when they were alive, and we'll be together after death."