In Hangzhou’s West Lake scenic area, two kneeling statues have spent the last five centuries taking a literal beating. Qin Hui, a chancellor from the 12th-century Song Dynasty, and his wife, Lady Wang, are cast in iron for eternity.
Their heads are bowed, hands bound, and their faces turned toward the tomb of the general they helped execute. Every day, hundreds of visitors line up to slap, kick, or spit on them. Some bring their kids so the next generation doesn’t forget who betrayed whom.
Qin Hui isn’t remembered for diplomacy. He’s remembered for selling out one of China’s greatest military heroes, General Yue Fei. Historians say Qin fabricated treason charges against Yue after the general refused to abandon a successful campaign against the Jurchen-led Jin Dynasty.
Yue was executed in prison, and Qin became the poster boy for political treachery. His name still ranks among the most despised in Chinese history.
The statues, first installed during the Ming Dynasty in the 15th century, have been replaced eleven times because of the sheer volume of abuse. The current pair dates back to 1979, already dented and worn from centuries of collective resentment. Visitors slap the statues for luck, for loyalty, for national pride, and sometimes just to join the ritual. Guides sell sticks so tourists can hit the sculptures harder.
The hatred has seeped into everyday life, too. A popular fried snack called yóutiáo, or “oil-fried devil,” is said to symbolize Qin Hui and his wife being deep-fried together as punishment. In some markets, people still twist the dough to represent their bodies before tossing it into the oil.
Five centuries later, the statues are more endurance test than monument. Five hundred years later, his legacy still draws queues of people eager to take a swing. Some see it as catharsis. Others see it as tradition. Either way, it’s history you can literally hit.
As long as they kneel in front of Yue Fei’s tomb, Qin Hui and his wife will keep their post—humiliated, bruised, and enduring 500 years of revenge. Few memorials have earned the top spot in hatred like these two.
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