Ep. 95 | Yue Fei
Like Guan Yu in the previous episode 081, Yue Fei of the Southern Song Dynasty was a heroic and legendary military man in Chinese history. He dedicated his life to resisting the aggression of the Jurchens of the Jin dynasty.
The Jurchens had booted the Song dynasty out of northern China in 1127. Yue Fei dedicated his short life to win back those northern lands before falling victim to imperial court politics. And this helped to make him a legend.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Caishi | 采石 | Site of one of the first naval battles in history |
| Ci | 词 | A type of Chinese lyric poetry |
| Dongbei | 东北 | Northeast |
| Doujiang | 豆浆 | Soy Milk breakfast that pairs excellently with a golden fried youtiao |
| Eguo Jintuo Zuibian | 鄂國金佗稡编 | The Biography of Yue Fei by Yue Ke |
| Gaozong Emperor | 高宗帝 | First ruler during the Southern Song period, son of Huizong Emperor |
| Guan Yu | 关羽 | Featured in CHP-081, sworn brother of Liu Bei and Zhang Fei, later made the God of War |
| Hailing Wang | 海陵王 | Hurchen prince who went on to become emperor and had grand designs on the Southern Song. Invaded below the Yangzi and lost. |
| Han Shizhong | 韩世忠 | Military commander, along with Yue Fei, who fought off the Jurchens during the Northern and Southern Song |
| Jin Dynasty | 金朝 | The Jurchen Jin Dynasty (Jin first tine) |
| Jin Dynasty | 晋朝 | Jin, fourth tone, the dynasty that ran from 265-420AD (Western & Eastern Jin) |
| Jingkang Shibian | 靖康事变 | The Jingkang Incident |
| Kaifeng | 开封 | Kaifeng, Henan, capital of the Northern Song |
| Liao | 辽 | The Liao Khitan Dyansty or people |
| Lin’an | 临安 | Near present day Hangzhou, capital during the Southern Song |
| Liu Bei | 刘备 | Sworn brother of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei |
| Luo Guanzhong | 罗贯中 | Author credited with writing The Romance of the Three Kingdoms |
| Prince Kang | 康王 | Title of Gaozong emperor before being made emperor |
| Qi | 齐国 | A puppet state during the Southern Song based on the former great kingdom near the state of Lu in Shandong |
| Qidan | 契丹 | The Khitan (Mandarin) |
| Qin Hui | 秦檜 | The Gaozong emperor’s chief minister who has been vilified for his supposed role in the downfall and murder of Yue Fei |
| Shangqiu | 商丘 | Located in Henan, first site of Shang Dynasty but also where Gaozong set up the 1st Southern Song capital |
| Shaoxing | 绍兴 | City just west of Ningbo and east of Hangzhou in Zhejiang province |
| Shaoxing Heyi | 绍兴合议 | The Shaoxing Treaty that brought peace in their time to the Southern Song |
| Sima Qian | 司马迁 | China’s most famous historian, writer of the Shi Ji, Records of the Grand Historian |
| Tangdao | 唐岛 | Site of one of the first naval battles in history |
| Xiaozong | 孝宗 | Successor to the Gaozong emepror. He went all the way to pardon Yue Fei and others wronged by Qin Hui and his minions |
| Xixia | 西夏 | The Western Xia |
| Yang Yao | 杨幺 | Successor to Zhong Xiang, later defeated by Yue Fei |
| Yangzhou | 扬州 | Capital for a brief time, of the Southern Song until it finally settled in Lin’an |
| Youtiao | 油条 | Deep fried breadstick, a breakfast staple and anytime snack |
| Youzha gui | 油炸鬼 | Deep-fried ghost (rhymes with Qin Hui), the forerunner of the humble youtiao |
| Yue Fei | 岳飞 | The subject of today’s podcast |
| Yue Jia Jun | 岳家军 | The Yue Family Army |
| Yue Ke | - | Grandson of Yue Fei who wrote the official biography of Yue Fei |
| Yuefei Miao | 岳飞庙 | The Yue Fei Temple |
| Zhang Fei | 张飞 | Sworn brother of Guan Yu and Liu Bei |
| Zhao Gou | 赵構 | Gaozong emperor’s family and given name |
| Zhao Kuangyin | 赵匡胤 | Founder of the Song Dynasty, also known as Song Taizu |
| Zhenjiang | 镇江 | The vinegar capital of China, where the Gaozong emperor fled to initially during a Jurchen invasion |
| Zhong Xiang | 钟相 | Rebel leader put down during Southern Song |
| Zhoushan | 舟山 | Located off the coast of Zhejiang near Ningbo |
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