Yuewang Temple

Yuewang Temple

Yuewang Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Yuewang Temple in Hangzhou

The Tomb of Yue Fei (Temple), nestled against mountains and overlooking the lake, is a magnificent site. It is divided into three parts: the Loyalty Shrine, the Enlightened Loyalty Shrine, and the tomb garden. The main hall of the Loyalty Shrine houses a statue of Yue Fei in military uniform, beneath which hangs the impressive plaque that reads “Return My Rivers and Mountains.” The Enlightened Loyalty Shrine was originally used to enshrine Yue Fei’s parents, wife, and children but has now been transformed into a memorial hall showcasing Yue Fei’s life story. The tomb garden features stele corridors on both the north and south sides, displaying 127 stone tablets engraved with Yue Fei’s handwriting and poems by later generations in homage to him—possessing significant historical and cultural value. In 1961, the Tomb of Yue Fei was listed as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Tomb of Yue Fei is located west of the Loyalty Shrine. Its circular structure is encased in stone with a grass-covered dome. The tombstone bears the inscription “Tomb of Yue Wumu, King of E, Song Dynasty.” Beside it lies the tomb of his son, Yue Yun. In front of the tomb stands a memorial archway, with the four characters “Serve the Country with Utmost Loyalty” inscribed on the screen wall before it—words that epitomized Yue Fei’s lifelong creed. The tomb path is flanked by figurines of civil and military officials, stone horses, tigers, and sheep carved during the Ming Dynasty. Below the steps of the tomb path lie the kneeling statues of the four treacherous officials who betrayed Yue Fei: Qin Hui, Lady Wang, Moqi Xie, and Zhang Jun—hands bound behind their backs, forever bowing in atonement. On the doorframe of the memorial archway are carved couplets: “This green hill is fortunate to bury the loyal bones; the innocent white iron was cast into statues of traitors.”

The Tomb of Yue Fei is situated within the Yue Fei Temple at the southern foot of Qixia Ridge in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.

Yue Fei (1103–1142), courtesy name Pengju, was a native of Tangyin in Xiangzhou (now part of Henan). A famed general of the Southern Song Dynasty who resisted the Jin invaders, he repeatedly defeated Jin forces and achieved remarkable military successes. In the 10th year of the Shaoxing era (1140), he led campaigns in Central China, reclaiming lost territories such as Zhengzhou and Luoyang, and decisively crushed Jin troops at the Battle of Yancheng. Just as he prepared to advance northward, Emperor Gaozong (Zhao Gou) and Qin Hui forced his retreat, stripped him of his military command, and appointed him as Vice Chancellor of the Privy Council. Soon after, he was falsely accused of treason under the charge of “presumably guilty” and imprisoned. On New Year’s Eve of the 11th year of Shaoxing (1142), he was executed at the Supreme Court in Lin’an (present-day Hangzhou).

After Yue Fei’s execution, a prison guard named Wei Shun smuggled his remains out of Lin’an and buried them at the northern foot of Jiushu Congci. In the 32nd year of Shaoxing (1162), Emperor Xiaozong ascended the throne and had Yue Fei’s remains properly reburied at the southern foot of Qixia Ridge. Successive dynasties carried out renovations of Yue Fei’s tomb over the years. The current structure dates back to its 1979 restoration.

The tomb faces east and is enclosed by stone walls. At the front is a gate leading to a screen wall inscribed with the four characters “Serve the Country with Utmost Loyalty,” written by the Ming Dynasty’s Hong Zhu. A pathway leads through the gate to the tomb, lined with stone figures of humans and animals. Yue Fei’s tomb lies at the center, marked by a stone tablet that reads “Tomb of Yue Wumu, King of E, Song Dynasty.” To the left of Yue Fei’s tomb is that of his son Yue Yun, with a stone tablet inscribed “Tomb of Yue Yun, Duke of Loyalty, Song Dynasty.” The surroundings are shaded by ancient cypresses enclosed by stone railings. The front pillars of the railing bear the couplet: “Since ancient times, good and evil have been like ice and charcoal; praise and slander today discern truth from falsehood.” Beneath the tomb gate are four iron statues with hands bound behind their backs, kneeling in tribute—Qin Hui, Lady Wang, Zhang Jun, and Moqi Xie, the four traitors who betrayed Yue Fei. Behind the statues, a couplet on the gate reads: “This green hill is fortunate to bury the loyal bones; the innocent white iron was cast into statues of traitors.”

In front of the screen wall in the tomb garden, stele corridors extend along both the northern and southern sides, displaying a total of 125 stone tablets from various dynasties. The northern corridor exhibits portraits and handwriting of Yue Fei, including “Farewell to Master Zhang of Ziyuan on His Northern Expedition,” the poem “Man Jiang Hong,” the “Memorial on Dispatching and Recalling the Troops (Former and Latter),” as well as memorials and letters. The southern corridor features poems, sacrificial texts, and restoration inscriptions by later generations in memory of Yue Fei. Among them, a “Man Jiang Hong” poem by the famous Ming Dynasty artist Wen Zhengming stands out for its thought-provoking lines: “Alas, how Yue Fei was once so highly regarded, only to suffer such cruelty in the end. Truly, if success invites death, then how pitiful the lost words that can’t redeem the past. Most innocent and pitiable is the Stormy Prison tragedy. Did they not care that Central China was shrinking? Did they not wish to avenge the humiliation of Emperors Huizong and Qinzong? But once Huizong and Qinzong were returned, what then would become of him? Throughout history, never boast of the mistake of fleeing south—back then, they feared Central China’s restoration. Laugh at how insignificant Qin Hui was, yet how he fulfilled others’ desires.”

In the 14th year of the Jiading era (1221), the Zhigu Guanyin Temple on the northern side of West Lake was renamed “Baozhong Yian Chan Temple” to honor Yue Fei’s deeds. During the Tian Shun era of Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty (1457–1464), it was again renamed Yuewang Temple and bestowed the plaque “Loyalty Shrine.” The current structures were rebuilt in the 54th year of the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty (1715) and underwent major renovation in the 7th year of the Republic of China (1918). The entrance hall bears the plaque “Yuewang Temple.” Passing through, a 23-meter-long corridor leads to the main hall. The main hall features a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof, with the plaque “Heart Illuminates the Sun and Moon” hanging between the eaves—a reproduction by Comrade [name redacted]. Flanking the hall are side chambers that were originally dedicated to General Niu Gao and General Zhang Xian, with statues of the two marshals erected. West of the Loyalty Shrine lies the Enlightened Loyalty Shrine; the main hall once displayed statues of Yue Fei’s parents, while the eastern side chamber held figures of his five sons—Yun, Lei, Lin, Zhen, and Ting—and the western side chamber featured likenesses of his five daughters-in-law and daughter Yinping.

In 1961, the Tomb of Yue Fei was designated by the State Council as one of the first batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units as an ancient tomb from the Southern Song Dynasty.

Yue Fei (1103–1142), courtesy name Pengju, was a native of Tangyin in Xiangzhou (now part of Henan), and an outstanding military strategist and commander of the Northern Song Dynasty.

Yue Fei’s father, Yue He, and mother, Lady Yao, were farmers. In his youth, Yue Fei studied archery and spear techniques under Zhou Tong and Chen Guang, becoming the most skilled martial artist in the county. However, due to poverty, he later went to Xiangzhou (now Anyang), where he “worked as a farmhand for Han Weigong (Qi)’s estate.”

In the early 4th year of the Xuanhe era (1122), Yue Fei enlisted in the army for the first time. In October of the same year, during the Northern Song’s campaign against the Liao, he reached the Liao capital of Yanjing... More details on Yue Fei ++