This year marks the 71st anniversary of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and there is no doubt that the victory in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea was a brilliant and vivid stroke in the course of China's history. However, it is regrettable that after the end of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, there were no specific statistics on the number of martyrs who died in china's war in the DPRK for a long time, and what makes people even more curious is why there are so few burial places in China.
For the accurate casualty statistics of China's volunteers who joined the DPRK, by the end of the Korean War, most of the data only described "more than 360,000 casualties of the Chinese Volunteers" These figures include the total number of wounded and sacrificed, which is obviously only a very general figure. Surprisingly, over time, the correct number of deaths has finally surfaced, and there are traces of resting places for fighters who sacrificed for North Korea that were not transported back to their homeland.
Since the early days of the birth of New China, the country has been waiting for a hundred industries to be revived, and the remnants of the Kuomintang forces are waiting for an opportunity at home, intending to make a comeback; on the foreign side, the forces headed by US imperialism have been eyeing our country in a vain attempt to undermine our country's hard-won peace in order to seek their own interests in Asia. The United Nations army, mainly the US military, launched a counteroffensive against Korea at that time, and at the request of the Korean Government, China sent troops to resist the United States and aid Korea, and the Korean War broke out against such a background.
In October 1950, in the increasingly bitter autumn wind, our great Chinese Volunteer Army "marched majestically and vigorously, and crossed the Yalu River" into the Korean War. It goes without saying that the victory of the war is inseparable from the bloody struggle of the brave soldiers of the People's Volunteer Army, who have demonstrated the fine qualities of defending their homes and defending the country, which have inspired and educated generations of people.
In July 1953, China sent representatives to sign the Korean Armistice Agreement with the US military, and the Victory to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea ended. The victory in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea crushed the arrogant desires of certain countries.
According to researcher Zhang Zhongyong, in the Memorial Hall of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in Dandong City, Liaoning Province, since the end of the 20th century, the relevant staff members have checked the list of civil affairs martyrs in China's counties and districts one by one, and in 2006, the number of volunteers who died in direct combat was announced, with a total of 183108 people.
For the soldiers who died during the Korean War, my Government demands that they be buried nearby. The specific burial treatment is determined according to the position and rank of the sacrificial soldier in the army, and in general, only the combat heroes of the first level or cadres at the regimental level or above are treated for burial in China.
This section of the "special and first-class combat heroes and martyrs of cadres at and above the regimental level" is mainly buried in the Martyrs' Cemetery for Resisting US Aggression and Aiding Korea in Shenyang and the Martyrs' Cemetery for Resisting US Aggression and Aiding Korea in Dandong. The wounded volunteer soldiers returned to China for treatment, mainly those who unfortunately died in the process of domestic treatment were ordinary soldiers or unknown martyrs who died in the battle in Korea.
But how many volunteers are buried in a foreign country? This point must be strictly followed by the narration of an informed person, and Cao Jialin, who once served as a training staff officer of Our Country's Volunteer Army, has a relatively strong say, because he has a very clear understanding of the burial situation of the volunteer martyrs who once fought in the DPRK during his nearly ten years of amateur investigation of the volunteer martyrs.
In 2010, written by him and given a detailed account, the People's Liberation Army Publishing House authorized the publication of the book "Interpretation of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea," which described that about 180,000 volunteer martyrs were buried in Korea, and he mentioned: "In the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, more than 360,000 people were heroically sacrificed and gloriously wounded, of which 140,000 were buried in foreign countries and more than 221,000 were wounded in battle."
It goes without saying that, despite the discrepancy between the two figures, most of the victims of the volunteer army left their remains in a foreign country for burial. In other words, according to the calculations, less than 3,000 people are the actual number of volunteer martyrs buried in the country.
It is not difficult to understand that due to various conditions, the unfortunate volunteer soldiers who died were buried on the spot, rather than transported back to the country. The War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea was fought vigorously in those years, and the unsung heroes who sacrificed their lives for this glorious battle are not only the numbers mentioned above, perhaps for various reasons, the remains of the volunteer soldiers in the first place were not considered by the government to be taken back to China, so what are the reasons hidden behind this war?
As we all know, in the early days of the outbreak of the Korean War, Chairman Mao Zedong's eldest son, Mao Anying, dared to be the first, set an example for the people of the whole country and went to the battlefield of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, but in November 1950, the Volunteer Army Headquarters suffered an air raid, the headquarters was bombed, and Chairman Mao Zedong's son, The Translator of the Volunteer Army Headquarters, Mao Anying, unfortunately died.
According to the specifications, Mao Anying was a cadre at or above the regimental level, and if he had been transported back to China according to the original regulations, at that time, Commander Peng Dehuai, out of political considerations, had consulted with the domestic telegraph federation and believed that he should be buried in North Korea. Therefore, he sent a telegram to Premier Zhou Enlai, saying: "I mean to be buried in the north of the DPRK, which is of better significance to the education of the Korean people, and the families of other martyrs who died have no objection."
Premier Zhou Enlai gave instructions: "I agree with Peng's opinion."
Chairman Mao Zedong also agreed with Commander Peng Dehuai. At present, chairman Mao's reasons for allowing Peng Dehuai's proposal remain to be examined. "Better educational significance for the Korean people" can be inferred from the side, and the impact on this burial operation can be deduced.
At present, the descendants of the volunteer martyrs are still difficult to worship, because most of the cemeteries of the volunteer army in North Korea are still closed to the public. However, the root of the fallen leaves is the tradition of the Chinese people, and they want to worship but have nowhere to go, because their relatives died in battle in other countries, and you can imagine the pain they suffered.
According to legend, among the people who crossed the Korean pilgrimage, a descendant of a martyr who died in battle in North Korea cried in front of the martyr's tomb. He claimed to be a widow, and he was born into this world after his father and uncle went into battle in Korea. After both his father and uncle died in North Korea, he did not enjoy the love of his father's generation.
He said: "I have missed my father since I was a child, and I have always thought of North Korea to visit the graves. Coming here today to visit the graves of the martyrs, just like visiting the graves of my father and uncle, I have finally fulfilled my lifelong wish. "What the Chinese people must understand is that the great martyrs of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, no matter where they are buried, are worthy of our Chinese compatriots' remembrance.