Mausoleum of General Yue Fei Travel Guide

Brief Introduction
Mausoleum of General Yue Fei was built in honor of Yue Fei, a general of the Southern Song dynasty when the capital of China was in Hangzhou. He was falsely accused and executed at the behest of the Prime Minister, Qin Hui, in 1141. Twenty years later the emperor recognized the general´s loyalty and had this tomb and temple complex built to honor him.

The buildings are all in excellent condition and constitute a museum of sorts. They have obviously undergone major renovation in recent years. The tombs and the tomb sculptures date from the 12th century, and have been meticulously restored.

The mausoleum is in the compound bounded by a red-brick wall. Inside is a large statue of the general and the words "return our mountains and rivers", a reference to his patriotism and resistance to the Jurchen. You will also see over 100 stone stelae, with inscriptions and a poem written by Yue Fei while he was in prison, some paintings depicting the general´s life and some interesting statuary.

Features
At one time the temple was an active center of worship, under the direction of the state cult, with semi annual sacrifices. Today it is a memorial to the spirit of loyalty and patriotism, which General Yue displayed, but has no religious significance.