Yue
Fei (1103-1142) of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) was born
poor and joined the army at the age of nineteen when the
empire was under attack from the Jin Kingdom in the north.
His mother, desiring to strengthen the resolve of her unruly
son, tattooed four Chinese characters on his back: "Be loyal
to the Motherland". Leading a fearless army he won numerous
battles, rescuing towns and villages from enemy pillage,
but when the Jin captured two Song kings, the Prime Minister
and his cohort recalled Yue Fei on fabricated charges and
to appease the enemy, imprisoned and executed both Yue Fei
and his son .
Today
Yue Fei’s statue stands in a National Park beside the tomb
of his son. On the wall surrounding the tomb four huge Chinese
characters are carved: “Be Loyal to the Motherland”. Below
the path are four cast iron statues of the traitors kneeling
with their hands tied behind their back. Tourists urinate
on the traitors every day.
