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.
