Wugu Cemetery and the search for Chen Yi

Almost three years ago I learned about Chen Yi, a controversial historical figure. He was a former chief executive of Taiwan Province and the KMT leader notorious for ordering troops to arrest or shoot rebels in the wake of the so-called 228 Incident of 1947, a popular uprising against KMT rule following a violent police beating of an old woman selling contraband cigarettes. He was later executed at a horse racetrack turned execution ground (now the site of Youth Park) by order of Chiang Kai-shek during a period of political purges known as the White Terror.

He was buried in the town of Wugu.

Wugu is a township on the outskirts of Taipei, made up of about one-third forested hills, one-third industrial wasteland, and one-third graves. The Wugu Cemetery, the main concentration of graves here, is a huge, sprawling burial ground, bounded on the south by the Beishikeng River, on the east by Highway 15 and the Danshui River along which it follows, on the north by Bali Township, and on the west by Tianyi Road.



Today I decided to complete a mission I have had brewing in my mind for almost three years: to find the grave of Chen Yi.

I had done some research over the years, so I had some clues. I knew that his grave was surrounded by a bamboo forest. I knew his grave didn't bear the name Chen Yi, but instead Chen Tuisu. I knew the grave was roughly watermelon shaped. And I knew that there are many who aren't keen on letting the location become public knowledge, for fear of vandalism. Chen Yi isn't exactly a well-loved figure. So finding his grave wasn't going to be easy.

I managed to find some pictures online, and I compared it and the surrounding area with satellite images on Google Earth. I found what looked like a promising candidate.

Armed with this sketchy knowledge, I set out by car, and was able to get to the cemetery quite easily. I had memorized various landmarks from Google Earth and Google StreetView. I passed the lingguta (lit. "spirit bone tower"), a pagoda-like columbarium common in Chinese cemeteries.

The lingguta at Wugu Cemetery


I got to where I thought his grave was, but it looked nothing like what I looking for. I had chosen the wrong place. Since the cemetery is a mile long by almost a mile wide, and is filled with chaotically oriented tombs and thick underbrush, an exhaustive search was out of the question. I decided to ask someone.

Typical Taiwanese tombs


There's a little village in the cemetery. I found a parking space by a small shrine, and asked a couple who were walking by, "I'm looking for a grave. Do you know who I can ask?" After some discussion, she called to the house she had come from, and out came an attractive young lady. She told me I should go ask at the general store down the road. She took me there, and on the way she asked why I was looking for this grave. I told her that I was searching for the graves of historic figures. She said, "That's an unusual hobby!"

The couple running the general store said they didn't know, but the old man across the street would surely know. So we went there. The young woman explained my situation, and to my relief and delight, the old man gladly pulled out a piece of paper and started drawing a map.

The map the old man drew for me


So now I knew approximately where to go. I drove down this narrow road, and came to the spot he said to go to. There were a couple vicious dogs there, thankfully chained up. And there was the bamboo forest, just as had been described. I walked through, past several tombs, dodging a few hardy shoots that jutted out of the ground like punji sticks, until I saw something to the right that looked promising. I walked into a clearing, and...

It was Chen Yi's grave!!

Chen Yi's grave


Legend has it that there is supposed to be a NT$10 coin on the little altar, with Chiang Kai-shek's face facing upward. This is supposed to ward away evil, or something like that.



There was no coin on the altar, so I took one from my pocket and left it there.

I went back, satisfied with my latest find, and returned to the village to thank the people who helped me. I never learned the pretty young woman's name.

Getting There

By car:

Take the Sun Yat-sen Freeway (National Highway 1) to the Wugu Exit, and follow Chengtai Road (County Route 107) north. If you see signs indicating Bali and Danshui, you're on the right track. Soon after Chengtai Road merges with County Route 103, you will cross a small bridge. (Overhead will be an expressway.) Take the next left, and then the next right going up the hill. Soon you will find yourself surrounded by graves.

It can also be reached from the Guandu Bridge: after crossing from Guandu, go south on County Route 103 (Provincial Hwy 15), and turn right just before the little bridge mentioned above.

By public transit:

Exit the Zhuwei MRT station, and go to the bus stops just outside and to the right. Take bus 1202 or 1510. It will take you across the Guandu Bridge. Get off at the Chengtai Intersection stop. It's the one before the expressway overpass. Walk or take a cab: continue briefly in the direction the bus was going, but make an immediate right as soon as possible. The road continues up the hill.

On Find A Grave

Wugu Cemetery

Muir-Strentzel-Hanna Cemetery

I'll start out my blog with an entry about the final resting place of John Muir, the father of environmentalism, the man responsible for the existence of America's national parks and the founder of the Sierra Club.

The Muir-Strentzel-Hanna Cemetery is kept under something of a shroud of secrecy. It's a tiny family cemetery in a wooded grove in an open field. The field is tucked within a residential neighborhood in the outskirts of Martinez, California. The cemetery lies on what is now property of the US National Park Service, and though it's perfectly legal to visit it, the Park Service remains secretive about its location, not wishing busloads of tourists to disturb the quiet neighborhood.

Last year, after gathering spotty clues about its whereabouts on the Web, I decided to go find it for myself. Despite poor directions, with the advice of a kindly neighbor and a little trial and error, I managed to find it. At first I was wandering around the wrong end of the field, because one of the websites said I go to a large white eucalyptus tree (supposedly planted by Muir himself). It's an impressive tree, but it led me away from the cemetery and almost into someone else's back yard!

The cemetery


Here are the graves of the man himself and his wife Louie.


There are just over a dozen burials here, mostly his wife's family.

Getting There

The cemetery is approximately one mile south of the visitor center for the John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez.

Drive along Alhambra Valley Road until you reach Sheridan Lane. (This is a residential area with little appreciable parking, so you may want to park in the parking lot of the school at Gilbert Lane, and walk from there.)

From Alhambra Valley Road, walk along Sheridan Lane. At the end of the block, you'll see a gravel drive to your right. (See it on Google Street View.)

Proceed along this gravel drive, and soon to the left you'll see the following scene:



Cross the chain with the "no parking" sign on it, and keep walking forward. Keep looking ahead and to the right, until you see the cemetery in the grove of trees:



Smack dab in the center of the photo above, you can see the prominent stone memorial in the cemetery. Cut across the field and you're there.

NOTE: Given that you have to pass through a residential neighborhood to get here, please be quiet, respectful and discreet when visiting. Do not trespass on private property. Stick to the public streets and accesses.

On Find A Grave

Muir-Strentzel-Hanna Cemetery

Greetings!

Welcome to my new blog!

This blog is going to be about cemeteries and graves. The general format will be one cemetery, mausoleum, burial site or cemetery complex per blog entry. I aim to include information about the history of the cemetery and prominent people buried there, and instructions on how to get there. And perhaps some stories and anecdotes about my own experience visiting these places. And of course there will be photos.

I currently live in Taiwan, so you'll find many of my entries will be about cemeteries in Asia. But I certainly won't limit myself to Asia.

Hope you like my efforts. Cheers for now!