New Party group visits martyrs' cemetery
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-07-07 14:52

The 30-member delegation of the New Party in Taiwan, led by Chairman Yok Mu-ming, who arrived on Wednesday afternoon in Guangzhou, the first leg of the delegation's mainland visit, pay homage before the Huanghuagang 72 Martyrs' Cemetery in the city on Thursday morning.

Yok Mu-ming, chairman of Taiwan's New Party, walks to arrange a wreath laid before the Huanghuagang 72 Martyrs' Cemetery in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province July 7, 2005. Yok arrived in Guangzhou Wednesday. [newsphoto]

The visit of the New Party in Taiwan, dubbed as the "journey of the Chinese nation," and in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of China's victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, closely follows mainland visits made by two other major parties in Taiwan, the Chinese Kuomintang and People First Party, in April and May.

Yok and his entourage reached the cemetery at 9:24am. On behalf of the delegation, Yok laid a wreath before the cemetery and carefully watered the pine tree planted by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, forerunner of the Chinese democratic revolution.

The New Party delegation also followed the traditional Chinese way of paying tribute to the dead by making three bows and observing silence of one minute before the cemetery, and then walked round the cemetery for once.

Situated on the Xianlie Road, Guangzhou City, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, the Huanghuagang Martyrs' Cemetery is a resting place of the 72 martyrs who laid down their lives in an abortive uprising in April 1911, which was led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen to overthrow the imperial Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), China' s last feudal dynasty.

The cemetery was built in 1918 with donated money and has undergone repeated repairs so far. It been listed as one of the major cultural relic sites that enjoy state protection and also a base for education in patriotism.

A special website was launched in June 2001 to give publicity on the history of the uprising and relevant relics.