'Full River Red' drives Hangzhou temple's popularity to new heights
Famous director Zhang Yimou's film "Full River Red" has emerged as the highest-grossing film during the Chinese New Year holiday, taking more than 3.5 billion yuan (US$521 million) at the box office by February 1.
The period film chronicles a mystery at the onset of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). The name "Full River Red" comes from a poem by Yue Fei, a military general who lived during that period and was well-known for his loyalty to the emperor.
The hit film ensured Hangzhou's Yuefei Temple was teeming with tourists during the just-concluded weeklong holiday. The temple was first built in 1221 and comprises Yue's tomb, the Zhonglie Hall and the Qizhong Hall.
Through March 31, the temple is open to the public for free, which has increased its popularity further. During the first five days of the Spring Festival holiday, more than 40,000 people swarmed into the site. Some laid flowers at Yue's tomb, paying their respects to the ancient general.
General Yue is probably one of the best known and loved historical figures for Chinese people since his death.
When the Jurchen troops invaded the northern regions of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the royal court fled south and established the Southern Song Dynasty in Hangzhou. Yue advocated the expulsion of the Jurchen and the reunification of the kingdom, but other officials preferred a compromise.
Though Yue fought a long campaign against the invading Jurchens, he was imprisoned and later executed on false charges because of the framing of treacherous court official Qin Hui.
In the movie, Qin is one of the main characters, while in the Yuefei Temple, the cast-iron figure of Qin is on his knees in front of Yue's tomb, with bare chest and hands bound behind his back.
In the Zhonglie Hall stands a 5-meter-high statue of Yue, dressed in a robe embroidered with a boa, golden armor and a helmet. A board reading "Huan Wo He Shan" (literally meaning "return me the river and mountain") in Yue's own handwriting hangs above the statue.
The statue of Yue Fei in the Zhonglie Hall
The Qizhong Hall used to be a memorial hall for Yue's parents and offspring. Now it has become the Yue Fei Memorial Hall, telling Yue's story with pictures and inscriptions.
Inside the temple compound, the towering stone archway with the inscription "Bi Xue Dan Xin" (righteous blood and loyal heart) shows the Chinese people's profound admiration and respect for the patriotic hero.
During the holiday, the stone tablet carved with the poem of "Full River Red" was crowded with impassioned visitors reading the poem.
"I learned the poem in middle school. After watching the movie, I immediately bought a train ticket to Hangzhou," said Gao Ying, a tourist from Wenzhou, another city in Zhejiang Province. "General Yue's bravery is inspiring."
Apart from the temple, the Cuiwei Pavilion on Feilai Peak was also built to commemorate the general. Han Shizhong, another loyal general and one of Yue's close friends, erected the pavilion to express his sorrow for losing Yue. Since Yue had once written a poem about the Cuiwei Pavilion in Chizhou, Anhui Province, Han gave the Hangzhou pavilion the same name.
At the time, Qin dominated the imperial court and anything commemorating Yue was forbidden. Han therefore used a carving on the pillar to note the pavilion was only constructed to provide people with a rest stop along the mountain road. Those characters can still be seen today.
The Yuefei Temple was packed with people during the Spring Festival holiday. Many came to pay tribute to the military general of the Southern Song Dynasty after seeing the film "Full River Red."
Yue's death stirred Hangzhou and residents vented their hatred by making dough paste into a shape resembling Qin and then frying it. Soon, the snack named cong bao hui (葱包烩) permeated the city. Cong bao means wrappings with scallion, while hui refers to Qin Hui. Today, the crispy and flat deep-fried shallot pancake is still popular with people, making a frequent appearance on Hangzhou's lanes and streets.
Another popular Hangzhou snack is also related to Yue. To boost morale, Hangzhou people made batches of cakes, on which 定胜 (ding sheng) were written to send to Yue's army as the Chinese characters literally mean "surefire victory."
This pink cake is made of glutinous rice powder wrapping around sweetened bean paste.
The cake has survived through the centuries, and although it no longer has Chinese characters written on it, many residents believe that eating ding sheng cakes before exams can bring good luck.
