Yue Fei Temple

The Yue Fei Temple preserves the tomb and temple of the Song dynasty general Yue Fei, one of China's greatest military heroes and most celebrated martyrs. Yue Fei held back Jin dynasty invaders for years before being recalled to court by the treacherous chancellor Qin Hui, who had him falsely charged with treason and executed in 1141. He was posthumously exonerated and became a symbol of loyalty and patriotic sacrifice that persists to this day.

The temple complex is large and contemplative. The main hall contains a seated statue of Yue Fei in armour, flanked by his generals. Behind it is the tomb itself, a simple mound surrounded by pine trees. Inscribed above the entrance are four characters in his own calligraphy: "Recover our mountains and rivers." The calligraphy pavilion and adjacent halls document his military campaigns and the fabricated charges against him. Allow an hour, more if you read Chinese.

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A story
At the entrance to the tomb, four iron statues kneel in permanent shame: Qin Hui, the chancellor who betrayed Yue Fei; his wife Wang Shi; and two accomplices. They have been kneeling since the 13th century. Visitors regularly spit on them. The statues have been replaced multiple times when the accumulated contempt of eight hundred years has worn them away.