Chengdu Wuhou Temple (Wuhouci) & Zhuge Liang, China

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Wuhou Temple

The Wuhou Temple (Wuhouci), located on the outskirts of Chengdu City, was built in the sixth century to commemorate Zhuge Liang (Kongming), known for his great wisdom.

He was the Premier of the Shu, one of the "Three Kingdoms" in of 221-263A.D. and he was given the title "Wu Hou" (Premier). It was rebuilt on the same location by Emperor Kangxi in the early Ch'ing Dynasty (1616 ~ 1911A.D.).

The main construction faces south with five consecutive sections, the main gate, the second gate, Liu Bei (Emperor of Shu) Palace, an atrium and Zhuge Liang Palace.

Once you are in, you can see a stone tablet. The epigraph on it was composed by Pei Duo, a famous prime minister in the Tang dynasty (618 ~ 907A.D.), then written by a famous calligrapher named Liu Gongquan and finally engraved on the stone by Lu Jian, a well known craftsman. So it is called "Tablet of Three Excellence".

The second gate brings you to Liu Bei Palace. Inside are the statues of Liu Bei (the emperor), Guan Yu (a general), Zhang Fei (another general), and Liu Zhan, the grandson of Emperor Liu Bei.

Inside the Zhuge Liang Palace, you can see the statues of Zhu and his descendants. There are three drums in the room, called "Zhu Ge Drums". Allegedly Zhu made those drums during the war.

Emperor Liu Bei's tomb is also in the temple. There are more than 40 statues of historical characters, over 40 tablets and more than 10 bronze instruments such as bells, stoves, tripods and drums.

The Wuhou Temple was listed as a national historical site by the government in 1961. People who are keen on the history of ancient China will find this spot interesting.

Du Fu, "Father of Poems" in the Tang dynasty (618 ~ 907A.D.), once came here to pay his respect to Zhu. Later he wrote a poem, "The Premier of Shu", about how Liu Bei, the Emperor, visited Zhu three times to persuade him to be the Premier of Shu. Zhu was eventually moved. After Zhu became the Premier of Shu, he assisted the Emperor and his family with loyalty and dedication until he died.

Where is the temple of the famous Premier -
In a deep pine grove near the City of Silk,
With the green grass of spring coloring the steps,
And birds chirping happily under the leaves.
...The third summons weighted him with affairs of state
And to two generations he gave his true heart,
But before he could conquer, he was dead;
And heroes have wept on their coats ever since.

The city in this poem refers to Chengdu City today.