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General Yue Feis Temple

General Yue Fei’s Temple: General Introduction

General Yue Fei’s Temple is located at the southern foot of Qixia hill, on West Lake bank. It was listed as one of the state-level cultural relic protection sites in 1961. 

General Yue Fei is the well-known national hero in the war against Jin invaders during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). He, with his army, had won many great battles, so a minister named Qin Hui was quite jealous of him. With the authority of Emperor Gaozong, Qin Hui ordered Yue Fei back to court at once at a time that Yue Fei was fighting furiously with the northern invaders on the battlefield. In fact, the command was just an excuse to order him back. Yue Fei was wrongly accused of seriously defying military order during his mission and was subsequently put to death at the age of 39. 

In 1163 Song Emperor Gaozong exonerated Yue Fei and had his corpse moved to the present site. The tomb of Yue Yun, Yue Fei's son, is on his left. In 1221, a memorial temple was built there not only to honour General Yue Fei who made such a great contribution to China defending his country against the aggression of Jin invaders, but also as an educational site for all Chinese to learn about patriotism. 

Due to ongoing wars and disasters, the Mausoleum of General Yue Fei saw more than 800 years of ups and downs. But, with great support from the Hangzhou Cultural Relics Association, the present mausoleum complex is the result of the largest restoration since the Chinese Cultural Revolution in 1979. The Mausoleum of General Yue Fei is now formed into a group of ancient-styled buildings. The mausoleum is 23 feet in diameter and 9 feet in height, and is situated in the southwest area of the ancestral temple. Stand in any corner of the mausoleum, and one may feel Yue Fei's total dedication to the service of the Southern Song Dynasty. Standing on both sides of his tomb are stone men, horses, tigers, and sheep that serve as guards around the mausoleum. Down the tomb steps are the cast iron kneeling statues of Qin Hui and his wife, Zhangjun and Mo Qixie. A famous Chinese poem reads: "The green hill is fortunate to be the burial ground of a loyal general; The white iron was innocent to be cast into the statues of traitors." In other words, heroes leave good names forever, but traitors go down in history as a symbol of infamy. 

With a vermeil boundary wall and a double-eaved gate tower, the memorial temple clearly demonstrates its grandeur. Upon entering the main gate along the blue stone road, one can see the ancestral temple directly in front of him. The main hall is the typical two-layer-eave of Qing Dynasty architecture with a big plaque "xinzhaotianri" inscribed by the marshal Ye Jianying hung above the door. In the middle of the hall is the sitting statue of Yue Fei in full armor. He looks martial and majestic holding a sword in his left hand and making a fist with his right. Above the statue is a tablet inscribed "return my territory" which represents his outlook on life. Stone steles inscribed with poems full of his praises and eulogies from different dynasties are displayed along the corridors beside Yue Fei's tomb. Visitors can get a thorough understanding of Yue Fei from these artifacts and know why he is so popular in Chinese history.

 

General Yue Fei’s Temple Travel Tips

Address: Near West Lake, Hangzhou

Admission Fee: CNY25

Opening Hours: 07:30-17:00

Last Updated on Thursday, 27 June 2013 11:54