Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery, also known as Beijing Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery, is located in Shijingshan District, west of Beijing, which is known as Babaoshan Because of its abundant production of eight minerals such as laterite, refractory soil, green ash, yellow pulp, white soil, horsetooth stone, sand and slate.
Babaoshan was formerly known as the Ancestral Hall of The Guardian of the State, and during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, the eunuch Si Li was killed in battle here, so the Yongle Emperor descended to build a tomb and a temple to worship here. During the Manchu Qing Dynasty, it became a temple for eunuchs. At the time of liberation, there were many monks and eunuchs here, who planted vegetables and cultivated land in this area, and supported themselves.
The eunuch pension temple, which sounds a little strange, is actually a tradition. Eunuchs are not lifelong occupations, and when they reach the age of fifty, they will be released in batches when they are old and weak, so eunuchs should also consider the issue of old-age care.
The rich and powerful eunuch will buy a house in the city, buy a poor girl as a wife, and then adopt or adopt a child from relatives and friends, even if he has a family and a wife and children, he will go home to retire like a normal person when he leaves the palace. Eunuchs who have a little money will save money to set up a shop or rule a few acres of land, collect rent and live a life.
The little eunuch at the bottom took out a part of the money from his salary every month to add incense to the monastery, and when he left the palace, he went to the monastery to retire. They rarely turn to relatives and friends, first, most of the eunuchs' relatives are also poor, and it is difficult for more people to eat, and second, the eunuchs are physically handicapped, more inferior, afraid that living with normal people will be discriminated against by people, and there are more eunuchs in the temple, which has become a eunuch pension temple.
In 1949, after the liberation of the whole country, Premier Zhou considered one important matter in his busy schedule: to choose a cemetery for the revolutionary martyrs who died in the war years; it could be used as a place to educate future generations, and the current senior leading cadres and celebrities had a suitable burial place once they died of illness.
He handed the matter over to Wu Han, the mayor of Beijing at the time, and the premier demanded that this place should be large, but not too far from the city, that transportation should be convenient, that it would be convenient to carry out commemorative activities, and that the environment should be beautiful but that farmland should not be occupied.
Wu Han ran around the outskirts of Beijing for several days, but he couldn't find a suitable place. On this day, they came to the tomb of the three kings in the western suburbs of Beijing, where the location environment can be, but to occupy the farmland, several people stood on a high slope to look at the west, Wu Han suddenly found that there was a forest on the mountain not far away, and the shadow also revealed some tall roof eaves, which looked quite vibrant.
He asked the staff who were familiar with the local situation: "What is that place?" "That mountain is Babao Mountain, and the place where there is a house is the Ancestral Hall of Zhongzhongguo." There are still many eunuchs living there, and the locals call it the Eunuch Temple. ”
Wu Han listened to it more interested, a few people decided to go up the mountain to see, here there are mountains and water, pine cypress lush, full of vitality, the forest reflects an ancient temple temple, the atmosphere of spectacular scenery is extraordinary, Wu Han around the ancient temple and ancient tomb around a circle, the tomb next to the courtyard of the ancient cypress, white bark pine and ginkgo trees tall and tall, through the indescribable artistic conception, he is particularly satisfied with the antique charm and elegant environment here.
Two days later, three cadres of the cemetery preparatory meeting came to Babaoshan again, found the way to the Huguo Temple, and explained their intentions: the municipal government had decided to requisition the Huguo Ancestral Hall and its land for use in the revolutionary cemetery, and this time to discuss the placement of eunuchs.
Xin Xiuming originally had a good family, had read books for 10 years, passed the examination, and successfully passed the water master's school and the Tai Hospital. After the death of his father, the family's wealth plummeted, in order to support his mother and siblings, he had already married his wife and had children, and he bit his teeth and castrated himself as a eunuch, and in 1902 he entered the imperial palace as a eunuch.
Because he had read books, could speak the Tao, and was proficient in the I Ching And Gossip, he often gave the little eunuch a calculation to relieve boredom when he was bored, and he was called "Immortal Zhang", which was very loud in the palace.
Xinhai Revolution broke out, the Qing Emperor abdicated, Xin Xiuming and other eunuchs were sent out of the palace, he also went to the ZhongzhongGuo Ancestral Hall, which had the title of Immortal Zhang, in 1930 was elected by everyone as an abbot, he set up a charity Baoshouhui, specially adopted eunuchs for free, Baoshouhui is self-help pension, eunuchs unified food and accommodation, in the surrounding mountains to plant vegetables and fruit trees, self-support, sick to take care of each other, died by the monastery unified burial.
When Xin Xiuming heard that it was to be requisitioned, he immediately said: "The Ancestral Hall of the Protectorate was given by the emperor and passed down from generation to generation, so I am afraid that it is not appropriate to requisition it?"
The cadres of the preparatory meeting patiently explained: After the founding of New China, the land is all nationalized, and there are legitimate procedures and legitimate uses that can be requisitioned, but they will certainly do a good job of resettlement, will not lower your living standards, and if you have any requirements, although you put them forward, you can try to meet them.
Xin Xiuming said, what about our vegetable fields and orchards? The cadres said that they could buy at a discount. Xin Xiuming thought about it for half a day and said, such a big thing, I want to discuss with you.
A few days later, the comrades of the preparatory group came to Babaoshan again, and as soon as they entered the temple gate, the eunuchs surrounded them and said that they were not willing to move and did not want to go to the countryside. It turned out that Xin Xiuming had deceived the eunuchs into saying that the government would confiscate the temple property and drive them to the countryside.
The comrades of the preparatory group talked with each eunuch, at that time there were several eunuch pension temples in Beijing, the conditions and environment were not worse than here, but also in the city, life was more convenient, the eunuchs with good relations could freely choose to go together according to their own requirements, and their practical difficulties were also solved, and the living standards would not be lowered, and the eunuchs happily accepted the arrangement.
In 1950, the cemetery was initially completed and named Beijing Revolutionary Cemetery. The architectural pattern of Babaoshan was designed by the famous Chinese architect Lin Huiyin and has been used to bury the late party and state leaders, democratic party leaders, patriotic democrats, famous scientists, writers, senior engineering and technical personnel, international friends, revolutionary martyrs and leading cadres at or above the county and regiment level on the mainland. In 1970, with the approval of the State Council, it was renamed Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery.