Hunan Martyr's Park () is an urban park and the largest park in Changsha, Hunan, China. Covering , the park opened to the public in 1953. It contains memorial sites alongside recreational and tourist areas. 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.
History Construction of the park began in 1950 on Dongfeng Road in Kaifu District and was completed in 1953, when it opened to the public. The park covers , of which about 40% is water. The Three-Arched Bridge () and Yingfeng Bridge () were built in 1973 and 1982. In 1983 the park was listed as a Provincial Key Cultural Protection Unit by the Hunan government, and the Hunan Folk Culture Village () was added in 1992. The park has admitted visitors free of charge since May 2000, and was renovated in 2007.
Climate
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.
Plant resources The park contains 326 plant species in 35 families and 172 genera, including more than 100,000 trees. Its conifers include Japanese black pine from nearby Mount Heng, Himalayan cedar, golden larch from Nanjing, and native podocarpus.
Parks The park has two main sections, a memorial area and a sightseeing area, subdivided into six specialized gardens: the Martyr's Memorial Garden (), the People's Leisure Garden (), the Water Scenery Garden (), the Folk Culture Garden (), the Children's Playground (), and the Landscape Recreation Garden ().
Tourist attractions Martyr's Monument The Martyr's Monument was built in 1959 in two segments: a monument above and a memorial hall below. It stands tall and is made of 2,932 pieces of white marble and granite. An inscription by Mao Zedong on the monument 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.
Nianjia Lake
Nianjia Lake (), is a man-made lake with an area of .
Yingfeng Bridge
The Yingfeng Bridge (), built of wood and brick in imitation Song-dynasty style (), connects the shore to the islands and is more than long.
Mid-lake island The Mid-lake islands (), also known as Xiaoyang Island (), were built in 1963 as four islands covering .
Ferry of the Red Army In July 1930, Peng Dehuai led the Red Army's 3rd Army Group () across the Huji Ferry () on the Liuyang River to attack Changsha. After the establishment of Hunan Martyr's Park, Huji Ferry was placed under the Hunan Martyr's Park management and renamed the "Ferry of the Red Army" ().
Transportation The park is served by Line 3 of the Changsha Metro at Martyrs Park East station,
and by bus route 111 to the park's south gate ().
References
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