Zhuxian Town

Built in 1478 under the Ming, this temple honours Yue Fei and his celebrated victory over the Jin commander Wuzhu at Zhuxian Town.

Said to have been enlarged when Yue Fei's troops camped nearby, the mosque has a prayer hall of carved timber and reflects the trading ties of Hui and Han communities.

Zhuxian is regarded as a cradle of Chinese woodblock New Year prints, known for bold rustic lines, vivid colours and door-god blocks of Qin Qiong and Yuchi Jingde.

The Jialu River once linked the Yellow and Huai rivers through this hub, making Zhuxian one of four great Ming and Qing towns alongside Foshan, Hankou and Jingdezhen.

Part of Zhuxian Town's history: Yue Fei's Campaigns; Part of Zhuxian Town's history: Treaty of Shaoxing. Southern Song general who defeated Jin armies at Yancheng, was recalled and stripped of command, and was put to death on charges Qin Hui never substantiated

Part of Zhuxian Town's history: Yue Fei's Campaigns; Part of Zhuxian Town's history: Treaty of Shaoxing. First Southern Song emperor, Gaozong, who took the throne after the Jurchen sack of Kaifeng, settled the court at Lin'an, and made peace with the Jin in 1141

Part of Zhuxian Town's history: Treaty of Shaoxing. Southern Song general who held Wuzhu's Jin army at Huangtiandang for forty-eight days, then gave up his command in the 1141 peace and lived in retirement

Part of Zhuxian Town's history: Treaty of Shaoxing. Southern Song chancellor who drove the Shaoxing settlement and prosecuted Yue Fei

Part of Zhuxian Town's history: Song Commercial & Urban Revolution. Northern Song painter known only from a Jin-dynasty colophon, the creator of the Qingming Festival on the River handscroll of Kaifeng's suburbs and streets

Part of Zhuxian Town's history: Song Commercial & Urban Revolution. Southern Song writer known only by his pen name, whose Dreams of Splendour of the Eastern Capital records the streets, trades, festivals and court rites of Northern Song Kaifeng

Part of Zhuxian Town's history: Song Commercial & Urban Revolution. Northern Song emperor Huizong, creator of the slender-gold script and patron of the court painting academy, who was carried off by the Jin and died in captivity

Woodblock New Year printing rose in Northern Song Kaifeng; after the Jin invasion, the craft's workshop center moved to Zhuxian Town outside the city.

Song Commercial & Urban Revolution

Dismantling urban ward walls and opening night markets, pioneering the vibrant commercial citizen society.

Yue Fei's Campaigns

Yue Fei's army defeated Jin forces and recovered territory around Yancheng, but he was recalled during the northern advance and later executed.

In 1140, Yue Fei's northern campaign advanced to Zhuxian Town and engaged the Jin army, forming the historical memory of the Zhuxian fighting.

Treaty of Shaoxing

Fixing the Huai River boundary between Song and Jin, establishing a century of Southern prosperity.