Yang Ye Venerated in Sin Fong (Vanguard) Temple and Stories of the Murals

Allegedly, General Vanguard was originally named Yang Ye, a famous military officer of the Northern Han Kingdom. After the Kingdom was incorporated into the Song dynasty, Emperor Taizong of Song appointed Yang Ye to be the general-in-chief in the defense against the nomadic Khitan people. In the 3rd year of Yongxi era of reign of Emperor Taizong (986), the Emperor ordered his forces to embark on a northern expedition split into three fronts to wipe out the Khitans. Yang Ye and Pan Renmei were appointed to be the military commanders of the Western front. During the expedition, Pan secretly plotted against Yang that resulted in Yang’s death in the Battle of Chenjia Valley.

The wall of the “san mun” (gate of the three liberations) of Sin Fong Temple carries illustrations depicting the stories of “Nocturnal Battle against Ma Chao” and “Escorting Sisters-in-law over a Thousand Miles”, which are contained in the acclaimed Chinese novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”. So true to life are the depictions of the different characters, yet the story content is way too far from the historical legends. Perhaps, the mural painter was not familiar with the stories about General Vanguard.

The technique of mural painting applied to Sin Fong Temple was executed upon freshly-laid or wet lime plaster, known as “fresco”. With the setting and drying of the plaster, the color pigments sink into it and the paintings become an integral part of the wall. The colors are long-staying and the paintings are well-preserved.