Yue Fei

Lore & Background

Yue Fei's ancestral home was in Xiaoti, Yonghe Village, Tangyin, Xiangzhou, Henan (present-day Tangyin County, Anyang, Henan). According to the History of Song, he was named 'Fei' (meaning to fly) because at his birth a large bird like a swan landed on his roof. He was born into a poor tenant farmer's family. His biography mentions a flood that displaced his family during his childhood, but his father survived. Yue received most of his primary education from his father. In 1122 he joined the army but returned home later that year after his father's death to observe the customary mourning period. When his mother died in 1136, he retired from a decisive battle against the Jin for mourning but was forced to cut it short when his generals begged him back.

Reader's Guide

Yue Fei's significance lies in his posthumous transformation into a culture hero and paragon of loyalty in China, especially after the fall of the Song dynasty in 1279. He was granted the posthumous name Wumu by Emperor Xiaozong in 1169 and the noble title King of E by Emperor Ningzong in 1211. His biography, written by his grandson Yue Ke sixty years after his death, was incorporated into the History of Song in 1346, though later historians like Deng Guangming doubt the veracity of many of Yue Ke's claims. The story of his tattoo—four characters meaning 'serve the country with the utmost loyalty' on his back—appears in the Biography of Yue Fei. His legacy is also depicted in the Wu Shuang Pu by Jin Guliang. The fictional novel Shuo Yue Quanzhuan provides a detailed but non-historical account of his early life, including training under Zhou Tong.

Did You Know?

• Yue Fei was posthumously granted the noble title King of E in 1211 by Emperor Ningzong.
• His biography was written by his grandson, the poet and historian Yue Ke, 60 years after his death.
• According to the History of Song, he was named 'Fei' because a large bird like a swan landed on his roof at his birth.
• He was executed in 1142 under a frameup after a negotiated peace with the Jin dynasty.