Yue Fei Temple

Yue Fei's Tomb is situated at the southern foot of Qixia Hill. This tomb was built to commemorate Yu Fei. In 1961, the State Council declared it as a major national protected monument. General Yue Fei (1103-1142) was a national hero of the Southern Song Dynasty who distinguished himself in battles against northern invaders. He was sentenced to death after he was framed for crimes he did not commit.

Located on the bank of the Yue Lake at the northwest comer of the West Lake, Yue Fei’s temple looks towering and lofty. It is made up of three parts including the tomb grounds, Loyalty Garden and Devotion Garden. The stature of Yue Fei is inside King Yue's Temple, and right above the statue hangs a plaque inscribed in Yue's calligraphy" Recover Our Lost Territories". The Devotion Garden used to be dedicated to Yue Fei's parents, wife and sons, now it serves as Yue Fei's memorial hall. Yue Fei's tomb grounds situates on the left side of Loyalty Garden. The tomb is built with rocks in a round shape. Beside it, there is the tomb of his son, Yue Yun. On the screen wall of the tomb grounds, four huge Chinese characters are carved: “Be Loyal to the Motherland” which is Yue Fei's life time motto.

On both sides of the path leading to the tomb, there are stone horses, stone tigers, stone sheep and stone figures dating from the Ming Dynasty. Blow the stages of the path, there are four cast iron statues of the traitors: Qin Hui, the Prime Minster of Southern Song; Wang Shi, his wife; Moqi Xie, a court official and Zhang Jun, a general. All these four statues kneel down in pairs with their hands tied behind their back. A carving couplet is on the gate: "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 the southern and northern tablet corridors of the courtyard, there are 127 carving or steles including some poems by prominent personages throughout history to express their respect for the national hero and some Yu Fei's calligraphy.