Status of Yue Fei 岳飞 in the Temple
Practically everyone who knows ancient Chinese history will know the name of Yue Fei 岳飞. And Chinese particularly the older ones tend to be lovers of ancient history. The story of Yue Fei has many variations some of which may not be true. However, one thing which is common to these stories is how much he loved his country. The stories also tell of how filial he was to his parents at one time leaving a critical battle to mourn for his recently mother, only to return upon the persuation of the generals.
Jin Zhong 盡忠
Yue Fei is patroit beyond compare, so it is not a surprise to see him being elevated to the status of a god. A temple was erected here where people can pray and pay respects to Yue Fei. This is much like how Confucius is venerated as a saint in modern China. Yue Fei has a large statue at the center of the temple. He was seated and looked powerful almost like an emperor. Not surprising since he is also called a king.
Bao Guo 報國
Around the temple, most prominently displayed are four Chinese characters Jin Zhong Bao Guo 盡忠報國 which means “serve the country loyally”. The story behind this four characters is that Yue Fei had the characters tatooed onto his back as a sign of his love for his country. That is all I can recall about the story of Yue Fei. In fact, only when I read the characters did I suddenly remember why it was so significant to him.
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