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Where the honor of a hero has been revived
By Zhang Qian |
June 8, 2009, Monday
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GENERAL Yue Fei, the national hero of the Southern Song Dynasty, is a symbol of loyalty in Chinese culture. The Yue Fei Temple is a special memorial for a special man. Zhang Qian explores. The Yue Fei Temple, also known as Yue Wang Miao (King Yue's Temple), at the southern foot of Qixia Hill near the West Lake is a memorial to the famous patriot Yue Fei (1103-42) of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).
The temple was first built in 1221, as the Baozhong Yanfu (literally meaning "praising loyalty and continuing luck") Temple, and changed into the Zhonglie (martyrdom) Temple in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
General Yue, the national hero of the Southern Song Dynasty, is a symbol of loyalty in Chinese culture. As a valiant and wise commander, Yue kept repelling invasions by minority nationalities like the Jins on the northern border. It is said that he once defeated an enemy army of 500,000 with only 800 soldiers on the outskirts of today's Kaifeng in Henan Province.
Yet treacherous politicians like Qin Hui wielding real power at court sent 39-year-old Yue to prison and had him executed after falsely accusing him of treason. After the Emperor Xiaozong succeeded to the throne, Yue was cleared of the groundless charges and a temple was built in his memory at the foot of Qixia Hill.
More than 780 years have passed since Emperor Xiaozong ordered in a royal decree to have Yue reburied with full honors. The temple has been repaired and rebuilt several times throughout the years.
The present structure of the memorial temple and the tomb was set up in the later Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) after a major reconstruction project. The temple compound is composed of a tomb garden, the Zhonglie Hall and the Qizhong Hall. In the western corner of the compound, the tomb garden faces eastward, and the two halls sit in the north and face the south.
The temple gate faces the Yuehu Lake, one of the five sections of the West Lake. Between the temple compound and the Yuehu Lake stand a towering archway with the inscription "Bi Xue Dan Xin" (boundless loyalty), showing the Chinese people's profound admiration and respect for the patriotic hero.
In the Zhonglie Hall stands a 5-meter statue of Yue, dressed in a purple robe embroidered with a boa, golden armor and a helmet. A board reading "Huan Wo He Shan" (return the sovereign) in Yue's own handwriting hangs above the statue.
The Qizhong Hall stands to the west of the Zhonglie Hall. It used to be a memorial hall for Yue's parents, five sons and five daughters-in-law. An ancient bell unearthed from the tomb is on display at the hall. The Qizhong Hall has now become the Yue Fei Memorial Hall, telling Yue's story with pictures and inscriptions.
Eight parts of a dead cypress tree are exhibited in the Jingzhong Pavilion in the garden west of the temple. It is said that the tree used to grow at Dalisi, a judicial department in ancient China, yet died suddenly after Yue was executed. The dead tree was moved to Yue's tomb in Hangzhou later and named jingzhong bai (the loyalty cypress tree).
Along the passageway to Yue's tomb, there are civil and military figures, stone horses, tigers and sheep standing. Yue's tomb lies in the center while his son Yue Yun, also a patriot general, is buried on the left.
In front of Yue's tomb are four cast-iron figures, kneeling with chests bared and hands bound behind their backs. They are Qin Hui, Zhang Jun, Wang Si and Wan Siguo, the killers of Yue.
The two on the left are Qin and his wife who master-minded the whole affair and the two on the right were their lackeys. As people cherished the love of Yue and hated Qin and his followers, they had these four cast in iron and forced to kneel forever before the tomb. A poem there reads: "Honored the green hill is, to provide an eternal resting-place for the loyal soul; Innocent is the iron used to cast the images of the hated traitorous ministers."
Youtiao, a popular breakfast in China, claims to be created due to people's hatred for Qin.
The story goes that after Yue was executed, a pastry vendor kneaded a piece of dough into two human shapes, standing for Qin Hui and his wife. He then twisted them together and put them into boiling oil in his cauldron. And the local people all came, bought the fried dough, and thoroughly enjoyed eating it.
Address: 80 Beishan Rd
Opening hours: 7:30am-5:30pm
Admission: 25 yuan
Transport: Buses No. 81, Y1, or Y9
The temple was first built in 1221, as the Baozhong Yanfu (literally meaning "praising loyalty and continuing luck") Temple, and changed into the Zhonglie (martyrdom) Temple in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
General Yue, the national hero of the Southern Song Dynasty, is a symbol of loyalty in Chinese culture. As a valiant and wise commander, Yue kept repelling invasions by minority nationalities like the Jins on the northern border. It is said that he once defeated an enemy army of 500,000 with only 800 soldiers on the outskirts of today's Kaifeng in Henan Province.
Yet treacherous politicians like Qin Hui wielding real power at court sent 39-year-old Yue to prison and had him executed after falsely accusing him of treason. After the Emperor Xiaozong succeeded to the throne, Yue was cleared of the groundless charges and a temple was built in his memory at the foot of Qixia Hill.
More than 780 years have passed since Emperor Xiaozong ordered in a royal decree to have Yue reburied with full honors. The temple has been repaired and rebuilt several times throughout the years.
The present structure of the memorial temple and the tomb was set up in the later Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) after a major reconstruction project. The temple compound is composed of a tomb garden, the Zhonglie Hall and the Qizhong Hall. In the western corner of the compound, the tomb garden faces eastward, and the two halls sit in the north and face the south.
The temple gate faces the Yuehu Lake, one of the five sections of the West Lake. Between the temple compound and the Yuehu Lake stand a towering archway with the inscription "Bi Xue Dan Xin" (boundless loyalty), showing the Chinese people's profound admiration and respect for the patriotic hero.
In the Zhonglie Hall stands a 5-meter statue of Yue, dressed in a purple robe embroidered with a boa, golden armor and a helmet. A board reading "Huan Wo He Shan" (return the sovereign) in Yue's own handwriting hangs above the statue.
The Qizhong Hall stands to the west of the Zhonglie Hall. It used to be a memorial hall for Yue's parents, five sons and five daughters-in-law. An ancient bell unearthed from the tomb is on display at the hall. The Qizhong Hall has now become the Yue Fei Memorial Hall, telling Yue's story with pictures and inscriptions.
Eight parts of a dead cypress tree are exhibited in the Jingzhong Pavilion in the garden west of the temple. It is said that the tree used to grow at Dalisi, a judicial department in ancient China, yet died suddenly after Yue was executed. The dead tree was moved to Yue's tomb in Hangzhou later and named jingzhong bai (the loyalty cypress tree).
Along the passageway to Yue's tomb, there are civil and military figures, stone horses, tigers and sheep standing. Yue's tomb lies in the center while his son Yue Yun, also a patriot general, is buried on the left.
In front of Yue's tomb are four cast-iron figures, kneeling with chests bared and hands bound behind their backs. They are Qin Hui, Zhang Jun, Wang Si and Wan Siguo, the killers of Yue.
The two on the left are Qin and his wife who master-minded the whole affair and the two on the right were their lackeys. As people cherished the love of Yue and hated Qin and his followers, they had these four cast in iron and forced to kneel forever before the tomb. A poem there reads: "Honored the green hill is, to provide an eternal resting-place for the loyal soul; Innocent is the iron used to cast the images of the hated traitorous ministers."
Youtiao, a popular breakfast in China, claims to be created due to people's hatred for Qin.
The story goes that after Yue was executed, a pastry vendor kneaded a piece of dough into two human shapes, standing for Qin Hui and his wife. He then twisted them together and put them into boiling oil in his cauldron. And the local people all came, bought the fried dough, and thoroughly enjoyed eating it.
Address: 80 Beishan Rd
Opening hours: 7:30am-5:30pm
Admission: 25 yuan
Transport: Buses No. 81, Y1, or Y9
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