Although the Communist Chinese government has made it illegal to spit on those statues for public health reasons, hundreds defy that law on a daily basis, and continue to insult those traitors while honoring Yue Fei.
There is another moral hero from China’s history. During the Three Kingdoms era (220-265 A.D.) after the fall of the Han Dynasty, there was a long period of civil war. Out of this era came the story of Guan Yu, who was another model for loyalty and righteousness. Guan Yu lived almost eighteen hundred years ago, yet it is easy to find carvings and statues of him in China today. I have bought several hand carved from wood.
It doesn’t matter if one is a member of the Communist Party, because role models like Yue Fei and Guan Yu still play an important part in how ‘most’ Chinese behave and what they believe. Anyone in China holding a position of power is measured against men like Yue Fei and Guan Yu.
To help gain a better understanding of what honor means to the Chinese, here’s a link to a piece published in the Los Angeles Times.
See Honor Chinese Style – Part 1
Lloyd Lofthouse is the author of the award winning My Splendid Concubine and writes The Soulful Veteran and Crazy Normal.
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