People are playing mahjong in the martyrs' cemetery in Chongqing.

The managers of a martyrs' cemetery in southwest China have been accused of turning the public memorial into an amusement park and a chicken farm.

People can play mahjong for 10 yuan (US$1.46) for a half day in the cemetery in the Jiangjin District of Chongqing City, yesterday's Chongqing Economic Times reported. And a cleaner who works in the cemetery has been keeping chickens there.

The poor management was disclosed on Tianya.cn. Someone posted about the mahjong and chickens after going to pay homage to the martyrs there on March 15.

An old man is feeding chicken in the martyrs' cemetery in Chongqing.

The Jiangjin Civil Affairs Bureau, which runs the cemetery, admitted it was mismanaged and said there were not enough staff. A bureau official surnamed Liu promised the bureau would improve its management.

The cemetery is home to the remains of 1,010 martyrs.

(Shanghai Daily March 20, 2009)