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The Mausoleum of General Yue Fei 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.
Yue Fei's heroic deeds and patriotism add a special beauty to the charm
of West Lake.
Admission Fee: RMB 20
Bus Route: 7, 15, 27, 28
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