Memorial Monument for Student Army Martyrs during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Guangxi

Address: Inside Qingxiu Mountain scenic area, Qingxiu district, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region
Opening hours: 8 am to 6 pm
Admission: 20 yuan ($2.78)/person

At the onset of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), patriotic movements surged across China. In Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, a large number of secondary and university students enthusiastically joined the “Guangxi Student Army”.

From 1938 to 1941, the student army operated across 65 counties in Guangxi and Guangdong. In addition to conducting extensive propaganda campaigns against Japanese aggression, the student army directly participated in more than 70 battles during the southern Guangxi Campaign, including the brutal Battle of Kunlun Pass. Some members made the ultimate sacrifice in these battles. While some fought on the front lines, others worked in the rear to mobilize and organize the masses for the war effort.

The memorial monument was built in 1986 to honor the student martyrs from the Guangxi Student Army who died during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression. Square shaped and 20 meters high, the granite monument stands atop Maoziling in the Qingxiu Mountain scenic area.

Toward the end of the Agrarian Revolutionary War (1927-37) and during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, inspired by the Chinese Communist Party's call for "united resistance", the Guangxi authorities of the Kuomintang government established three successive groups of student armies. Some members were sent to the front lines in East China, others joined the New Fourth Army, and some participated in notable battles such as the Battle of Kunlun Pass. Among them, 12 students heroically gave their lives for their country.