Chinese Cemetery (Danyor)

The Gilgit Chinese Memorial Cemetery (Chinese: 吉尔吉特中国烈士陵园, Urdu: گلگت چینی میموریل قبرستان‎), locally known as the China Memorial (Shina: چائنہ یادگار‎, lit. 'Chinā Yadgār'),[4] is a graveyard located in Danyor, Gilgit–Baltistan, about ten kilometres away from the capital city of Gilgit across the Gilgit River. The cemetery, established in early 1970, serves as the final resting place of Chinese workers and engineers who died during the construction of the Karakoram Highway (KKH) in Pakistan throughout the 1960s and 1970s.[5][6][7] The tombstones placed over the graves contain epitaph inscriptions in Chinese characters.[5][8]

Gilgit Chinese Memorial Cemetery
吉尔吉特中国烈士陵园
چائنہ یادگار
Tombstones of Chinese workers who died during the construction of the Karakoram Highway in Gilgit–Baltistan
Location within Pakistan
Details
Established1970[1]
Location
Danyor, Gilgit–Baltistan
Country Pakistan
Coordinates35.91°N 74.39°E / 35.91; 74.39
Size1,600 m2 (17,000 sq ft)
No. of graves88[2][3]
No. of interments140[3]

In August 2011, a Chinese delegation consisting of retired People's Liberation Army soldiers, journalists and a relative of a worker visited the cemetery to pay homage to the deceased.[9] The visit was widely publicized in the Chinese media. Prior to their departure for Pakistan, they had also met the Pakistani ambassador to China, Masood Khan, who was highly appreciative of their gesture.[10] In April 2013, a ceremony was held at the cemetery in which key Chinese and Pakistani officials were present, including the consul of the Chinese embassy in Islamabad, Zhang Lianyou, officials of the China Road and Bridge Corporation, members of the Gilgit–Baltistan Legislative Assembly and Pakistani law enforcement personnel. During the ceremony, tributes were paid to the deceased and a pledge was laid on behalf of the Chinese government for a renovation of the cemetery. Pakistani officials present at the occasion lauded the contributions of the Chinese workers as a symbol of healthy and longstanding bilateral relations between China and Pakistan.[5]

Background and significance

The Karakoram Highway is an international highway which runs across the Karakoram mountain range and through the Khunjerab Pass, thereby connecting China's Xinjiang region with the neighbouring Pakistani administrative territory of Gilgit–Baltistan in the Kashmir region. It serves as the primary land transport link between Pakistan and China.[7] Construction of the highway was carried out jointly between the governments of Pakistan and China from 1966 to 1979. The construction of the highway had created difficult conditions for Chinese and Pakistani workers due to the high elevation of the mountain range and turbulent weather. Estimates for the highway construction's death toll ranges from around 1000–5000 people,[5] of which nearly a third were Chinese workers[11] who had died mostly in landslides, avalanches and accidental falls. Newer reports estimate the casualties to be higher than initially reported, and difficult to pinpoint due to the nature of the terrain in the region.[8]

The cemetery remains an important visitor attraction in Gilgit.[12]

See also

References
  1. "Ties that bind: Chinese cemetery to be renovated by October". The Express Tribune. 2013-06-05. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
  2. "Pak China Friendship: Chinese Graveyard in Gilgit Pakistan". 9 July 2017.
  3. "Premier Li Keqiang Pays Official Visits to India, Pakistan, Switzerland and Germany".
  4. "Ties that bind: Chinese cemetery to be renovated by October". The Express Tribune. 2013-06-05. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
  5. Mir, Shabbir (5 April 2013). "Pak-China friendship: Chinese cemetery to be rebuilt in Gilgit". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  6. Abraham, Terry. "Overseas Chinese Cemeteries". University of Idaho. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  7. Mir, Shabbir (5 April 2013). "Pak-China friendship: Decades-old Chinese cemetery to be renovated". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  8. "Chinese cemetery near Gilgit". Virtual Tourist. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  9. "Attendants of Chinese martyrs cemetery in Gilgit honored". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
  10. "Retired Chinese soldiers pay homage to KKH martyrs". Frontier Star. 19 August 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  11. "25th Anniversary of the Karakoram Highway (1978 - 2003)". Pakistan Post. May 16, 2006. Archived from the original on 16 December 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  12. Mir, Shabbir (6 June 2013). "Ties that bind: Chinese cemetery to be renovated by October". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
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