The Ancestral Temple of Marquis Wu (wǔ hóu cí 武侯祠) is located in the southern suburb of Chengdu City (chéng dū shì 成都市) in Sichuan Province (sì chuān shěng 四川省). It was originally constructed in 223 AD. The site consists of a restored temple restored in Tang Dynasty (táng cháo 唐朝), which is dedicated to the prime minister and war strategist Zhuge Liang (zhū gě liàng 诸葛亮) of Shu State (shǔ guó 蜀国) in the Three Kingdoms Period (sān guó shí qī 三国时期). It is regarded as the Shrine of the Three Kingdoms Period (sān guó shèng dì 三国圣地).

Zhuge Liang (181-234 AD) lived during the Three Kingdoms Period (220-84 AD), was Chancellor of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He is often recognized as the greatest and most accomplished strategist of his era. What’s more, he was also an accomplished scholar and inventor. His reputation as an intelligent and learned scholar grew even while he was living in relative seclusion, earning him the nickname Wolong (wò lóng 卧龙, crouching dragon)

Entering the gate, you can see six stone tablets standing in the thick woods. The biggest among them is the one carved in the Tang Dynasty, which is called Sanjue Tablet (sān jué bēi 三绝碑) because the epigraph was written by the chancellor Pei Du (péi dù 裴度) in Tang Dynasty, written by the calligrapher Liu Gongchao (liǔ gōng chāo 柳公绰) and carved by famous craftsman Lu Jian (lǔ jiàn 鲁建).

Entering the second gate, you will see an imposing hall, namely, Liu Bei Hall (liú bèi diàn 刘备殿). In the middle of the hall, there is the gold-overlaid statue of Liu Bei, on the left of which there is the statue of his grandson Liu Chen (liú chén 刘谌). On the side halls on both sides, there is the statues of Guan Yu (guān yǔ 关羽) and his son and Zhou Cang (zhōu cāng 周仓) on the east, while there are the statues of Zhang Fei (zhāng fēi 张飞) and his son and grandson. In the corridor rooms on east and west there are fourteen statues of the official ministers and force minister of Shu Han (shǔ hàn 蜀汉).

Out of the Liu Bei Hall and going through the lounge, you will get the Hall of Zhuge Liang (zhū gě liàng diàn 诸葛亮殿). In the hall, there is the statue of Zhuge Liang, with ribbon scarf on the head and feather fan in hands. It is said that the three bronze drums which are valuable cultural relics, in front of the statue were made when Zhuge Liang was in command of troops, and they are called Zhuge Drum (zhū gě gǔ 诸葛鼓). The patterns on the drum are delicate.

To the west of the Hall of Zhuge Liang, there is the tomb of Liu Bei, called Hui Mausoleum (huì líng 惠陵). With a history of more than 1780 years, the mausoleum had never been robbed. The tomb is multi-burial. Together with Liu Bei, there are the Queen Gan (gān fū rén 甘夫人) and Queen Wu (wú fū rén 吴夫人).

Near the Ancestral Temple of Marquis Wu, there is a street with the flavor of Ming and Qing dynasties. The street is called Jinli (jǐn lǐ 锦里). On the street, you can enjoy the local snacks, the folk customs and buy some local specialties.

The Ancestral Temple of Marquis Wu
Address: No. 231, Wuhouci Street (wǔ hóu cí dà jiē 武侯祠大街), Chengdu City
Admission fee: CNY 60
Opening hours: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Transportation: you can take bus No. 59, 82, 109, 110 to get there
Attractions nearby: Wenshu Temple