Man Jiang Hong - Authorship Controversy

Authorship Controversy

The common belief is that Yue Fei wrote the poem in 1133 at the age of 30 after the capture of the Song Dynasty emperors Qinzong and Huizong by forces of the Jurchen-led Jin Dynasty (known as the "Humiliation of Jingkang" as mentioned in the poem) alongside Emperor Gaozong's retreat to present-day Hangzhou in 1127 and the subsequent formation of the Southern Song Dynasty.

However, Princeton University history professor James T.C. Liu states that Yue's version was actually written by a different person during the early 16th century. The poem was not included in the collected works of Yue Fei compiled by Yue's grandson, the poet and historian, Yue Ke (岳柯, 1183 - post 1234). And it was never mentioned in any major works written prior to the Ming Dynasty. The section that states the author's wish "to stamp down Helan Pass" is what led scholars to this conclusion. Helan Pass was in Western Xia territory, which was not a military target of Yue's armies. Liu suggests the "real author of the poem was probably Chao K'uan who engraved it on a tablet at Yueh Fei's tomb in 1502, in order to express the patriotic sentiments which were running high at that time, about four years after General Wang Yueh had scored a victory over the Oirats near the Ho-lan Pass in Inner Mongolia."