Yue Fei Temple, Memorial temple near West Lake, Hangzhou, China.

Yue Fei Temple is a memorial complex at the foot of Qixia Ridge by West Lake, built around the tomb of the Song general. Its main hall, the Zhonglie Shrine, holds a 4.5-metre painted seated statue of Yue Fei in a helmet and dragon-decorated robe, holding a baton, beneath plaques such as "Return My Rivers and Mountains" in his own calligraphy.

The site was established in 1221 during the Southern Song Dynasty to commemorate a general who fought northern invasions during the 1140s. After his execution, his legacy became a lasting part of Chinese history and identity.

Yue Fei was posthumously made King Yue, though he never held that title in life. The temple's name honours this status, and the site is also called Yue's Tomb because his remains were moved here in 1162. Look for the plaque reading "Return My Rivers and Mountains," attributed to Yue Fei's own hand.

The complex sits at the northwest corner of West Lake, at the southern foot of Qixia Ridge. The entrance gate leads into a square courtyard facing the Loyalty Shrine; the tomb garden and the Hall of Loyalty lie beyond. The grounds are level and walkable, with the stele corridor and the museum hall set off the main axis.

The four kneeling iron figures before the tomb are not original: they were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and recast in 1979. They represent the officials who pressed for Yue Fei's execution, and visitors often spit on or strike them, a gesture of contempt that has worn the metal.