| Hunan Martyr's Park | |
| Native Name: | 湖南烈士公园 |
| Native Name Lang: | zh-hans |
| Photo Width: | 220 |
| Map: | China Hunan#China |
| Map Width: | 220 |
| Location: | Kaifu District, Changsha, Hunan |
| Coords: | 28.2146°N 112.9998°W |
| Area: | 343.3acres |
| Founder: | Changsha government |
| Operator: | Changsha government |
| Visitation Num: | 10 million each year |
| Visitation Ref: | [1] |
| Status: | Open all year |
Hunan Martyr's Park is an urban park and the largest park in Changsha, Hunan, China.[2] Covering an area of 343.3acres, the park was constructed and opened to the public in 1953. It is a renowned scenic spot integrating memory, leisure and tourism. Hunan Martyr's Park has been designated as a "Provincial Key Cultural Protection Unit" by the Hunan government and a "National Patriotic Education Base" by the Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party. In 2009 it was categorized as a "National Key Park" by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.[3] [4]
Construction began in 1952 and completed in 1953, and opened to the public in May 1956. It covers an area of 343.3acres, of which land area of 171.985acres, and water area of 171.32acres. The Three-Arched Bridge and Yingfeng Bridge were established in 1973 and 1982 respectively. In 1983, Hunan Martyr's Park was listed as a "Provincial Key Cultural Protection Unit" by the Hunan government. The Hunan Folk Culture Village was constructed in 1992. Since May 2000 Hunan Martyr's Park open to visitors for free. It was restored in July 2007.
Hunan Martyr's Park enjoys a subtropical humid monsoon climate and exhibits four distinct seasons, with an average annual temperature of 17.21 °C. Spring and fall are warm, while winter is chilly with cold wind. Winter temperatures average around 5 °C. Summers are very hot and dry with a July daily average of 29 °C.
There are more than 326 species of plants in the park, of which more than 150 thousand trees and 1.75 million flowering shrubs.
Hunan Martyr's Park is divided into six scenic areas, including the Martyr's Memorial, the People Leisure Park, the Water Scenery Park, the Folk Culture Village, the Adventure Playground, and the Landscape Recreation Park .
The Martyr's Monument was built in 1959, it can be divided into upper and lower segments. The upper is a monument and the lower is a memorial hall. With the height of 58.7m (192.6feet), it was made of 2,932 pieces of white marble and granite. An inscription which was written by Mao Zedong on the monument. It reads "The Monument of Hunan Martyr's Park" . There are over 90 martyrs’ portraits and the famous sayings collected from more than 100,000 Hunan martyrs in the memorial hall.[5] [6]
Nianjia Lake, is a man-made lake with an area of 115.2acres.[5] [6]
The Yingfeng Bridge across the coast and islands is that the imitation Song-dynasty-style built of wood and bricks, with more than 254.5m (835feet) long.[5] [6]
The Mid-lake islands, also known as "Xiaoyang Island", was built in 1963 with four islands, occupying 4.94acres of land area.[5] [6]
In July 1930, Peng Dehuai led the Red Three Regiments to attack Changsha in Huji Ferry of Liuyang River. After the establishment of Hunan Martyr's Park, Huji Ferry was placed under the Hunan Martyr's Park management and renamed "The Ferry of Red Army" .[5] [6]