Yue Fei, Qin Gui, and Patriotism in Song China

“Let us drive our chariots through the Helan Pass, My bold aim is to eat the flesh of the nomads. Laughing while I thirst for the blood of the Xiongnu, Wait until we can begin again, Recovering our old rivers and mountains, And paying homage again in the imperial court.”*

Yeah, but how do you really feel, General Yue?

Never one to hold back whether in battle or at court: patriot, general, and case study in why it’s never a good idea to antagonize the emperor (even if you’re right),Yue Fei lived a life devoted to serving the Song dynasty, and it was in a Song prison that he was killed on this date in 1142.

Yue was a military man in a dynasty founded on the principle that military men had no business in state affairs. When the Jurchen invaders of the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) invaded North China (more on this in a moment), Yue Fei argued passionately against those who sought to trade peace with the Jin for a detente that meant the partition of China. Officials at court, including the notorious Qin Gui (1090-1155)** urged the young and recently enthroned Gaozong Emperor (r. 1127-1162)–the emperor’s father and

The Historical Record for January 27, 2008: Yue Fei, Song Qingling, and the Opium War

This date in 1142 Song General Yue Fei (b. 1103) was killed in prison after running afoul of the official Qin Hui and others in the Song court who wished to appease the Jurchen invaders of North China.

In 1841, one day after the British seized Hong Kong and The Bogue, the Daoguang Emperor declared war on Great Britain, marking the official start of the (first) Opium War.

Today is the birthdate of Madame Sun Yat-sen, Song Qingling (1893-1981). She was the second of the three “Song sisters,” daughters of wealthy Shanghai businessman, Charlie Soong all of whom would marry important figures in China’s history. Song Qingling graduated from Wesleyan College in Macon, GA and married Sun Yat-sen, 26 years her senior, in 1915. After spending time in exile in the Soviet Union, she returned to China and held a number of honorary and ceremonial posts in the PRC government, including being the only person to ever hold the title of Honorary President of the People’s Republic of China.

Finally, on this day in 1964, France normalized relations with the People’s Republic of China becoming the 45th country to do so.

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