Certified Chinese

Although tattoos in China today are associated with gangsters and other lower-class people, a well known tattoo was sported by one of China’s ancient heroes. According to the story, the great general Yue Fei had the words “jing zhong bao guo” tattooed on his back. They were placed there by his mother before the young man entered the army in 1122. The characters mean “fully devoted to one’s country.”
 
Yue Fei lived true to the words on his back. He remained loyal to China even when corruption and treachery threatened his life. As a military leader, he defended his country against invading Jurchen armies. When success seemed within his grasp, corrupt advisors to the emperor made peace with the enemy and called Yue Fei home. There the traitor Qin Kuai had him arrested and accused him of betraying his country.
 
In response, Yue Fei tore off his clothing to reveal his tattoo. It spoke the truth: Yue Fei was fiercely loyal to China and its emperor. For a time, Qin Kuai could say nothing. He could give no reason to sentence the general to death. Qin Kuai’s wife, Lady Wang, convinced her husband that he did not need a reason to execute Yue Fei. So in 1142 the hero and his adopted-son, Yue Yun, were sentenced to death and executed. The charges against them were not proven but Qin Kuai insisted they “could be true.” The phrase “could be true” entered the Chinese language as an expression to refer to fabricated charges.

About 20 years after Yue Fei’s death, Emperor Xiaozong pardoned him and built a tomb and memorial to the hero. Statues of Qin Kuai, Lady Wang, and two of Qin Kuai’s subordinates—all in kneeling positions—were made and placed before Yue Fei’s tomb. For centuries, visitors to the memorial spat on these statues and urinated on them. Today the iron statues are protected as historical relics.

The story of Yue Fei and his tattoo is told to children in China. It teaches them not only the value of protecting and serving their country, but also of enduring pain and obeying their mothers.

Links:

• Yue Fei at Wikipedia
• Chinese Cloth Puppets Depict Yue Fei’s Mother Tattooing “Jing Zhong Bao Guo” on His Back (Chinese)
• Can the Spirit of Jing Zhong Unite the Two Chinas? (Chinese)
  An official at the Yue Fei Research Center in China was impressed with the respect the people of Taiwan have for Yue Fei. Many see him as a national hero, and some build temples to honor him as a god. Some Taiwanese “Yue” families have visited the place in China where Yue Fei was from. The official suggested that Yue Fei’s popularity in both countries and the “spirit of jing zhong” could be the links that bring the two Chinas together as one.
• Is There Historical Evidence of Yue Fei’s Tattoo? (Chinese)
  Did Yue Fei really has a tattoo in his back? Any historical source or evidence?
• Two Versions of “Jing Zhong Bao Guo” (Chinese)
  Two versions of the words legend says are tattooed on the back of Yue Fei, “Jing Zhong Bao Guo,” are similar but not exactly the same. Where did the two versions come from? Which one was on the back of the hero?
• Chinese postage stamp of Yue Fei (Chinese)
• Statue of Yue Fei’s mother tattooing on his back (Chinese)
• Statue of Yue Fei’s mother tattooing on his back (Chinese)
• A Word about Tattoos - Goodcharacters.com