China - Wuhou Memorial Temple

Wuhou Memorial Temple at Nanyang.

Sent by David from China.

"Situated in the southern suburb of the Chengdu City, Wuhou (an honorific title means Martial Marquis) Memorial Temple was an ancestral temple with a history covering over one-thousand-years, established as a memorial to the prime minister of Shu (221 - 263) in the Three Kingdoms Period (220 - 280) - Zhuge Liang. According to a poem of a famous poet in Chinese history, experts concluded the temple was established during or prior to the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), but the specific date is not clear. In the early Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), Wuhou Temple merged with the Zhaolie Temple, the memorial temple of Liu Bei, the Emperor of Shu, forming a special bond between lord and vassal venerated in one temple. Tourists will find the horizontal tablet reads 'Han (the Han Dynasty) Zhaolie (refers to Liu Bei) Miao (temple)' before entering the gate.

Wuhou Memorial Temple is located within a thick verdant forest of cypresses; the five sections of the main complex are respectively the First Gate, Second Gate, Liu Bei Hall, the corridor and Zhuge Liang Hall. There are more than 40 statues of Shu, and other historical figures in the temple, including Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei (2 loyal vassals and the sworn brothers of Liu Bei) and their well-known posterities. Many valuable steles, plaques and couplets are also to be found there. Along both sides of the way leading through the First and Second Gates are six stone steles, among which the one carved in the Tang Dynasty also called 'San (three) Jue Bei (stele)' is the most precious. Three influential celebrities of the Tang Dynasty respectively finished the artistry, the calligraphy and carving on the stele, and considered the most majestic of the five is Liu Bei Hall. Through the corridor, is Zhuge Liang Hall, in which the statue of Zhuge Liang contemplates with a feathered fan in hand, presenting the appearance of gentle elite? The tomb of Liu Bei is located in the west of Zhuge Liang Hall.

In the people' heart, the intelligence and prestige of Zhuge Liang are deemed far higher than that of many vassals, and even of some emperors. Therefore, there are several Wuhou Memorial Temples in China, if you want to visit one, make it this one, for its fame and prestige."