Despite fewer visitors to Chengdu during the pandemic, its centuries-old Temple of Marquis Wu remains a draw for Sichuan residents, Huang Zhiling and Xie Jiaqian report.
The Temple of Marquis Wu (above) in Chengdu, Sichuan province, has a replica of Zhuge Liang's cottage depicting the pivotal meetings between Zhuge and Liu Bei during the Three Kingdoms period, and a bazaar in the ancient construction style of west Sichuan. The temple also houses the tomb of patriotic general Liu Xiang, who led the Sichuan army during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45). (HUANG LERAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)
Cabbies in Chengdu, Sichuan province, complain about sluggish business in the aftermath of COVID-19. As a tourist city, Chengdu has much fewer visitors from outside Sichuan than before, they tend to say.
But residents of the province visiting the centuries-old Temple of Marquis Wu, also known as Chengdu Wouhou Shrine, find themselves amid bustling crowds.
Visitors to the temple can see cultural relics pertaining to the Three Kingdoms (220-280) and the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45). They also appreciate red plum blossoms and orchids and eat snacks.
The temple, covering 140,000 square meters, is China's only shrine where a subordinate is enshrined with his emperor. It consists of a cultural relics area, a park and a bazaar in the ancient construction style of west Sichuan, says Tan Lina, a senior guide.
Marquis Wu, or Zhuge Liang (181-234), was a legendary premier and strategist of the Shu Kingdom (221-263) during the Three Kingdoms period, but the temple is not exclusive to Zhuge. As China's largest museum for the history of the Three Kingdoms period, it also houses the tombs of Liu Bei (161-223), first emperor of the Shu Kingdom, and Liu Xiang (1888-1938), a patriotic general who led the Sichuan army out of the province to fight against the invading Japanese army during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
Wandering through the temple, visitors feel the spirit of loyalty, bravery and wisdom.
In Zhuge's youth, the royalty of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) was weak and warlords were entangled in fighting which led to the division of the country into three kingdoms, Wei, Shu and Wu.
Resolved to help restore the dynasty's power, Zhuge, now China's personification of wisdom and loyalty, lived on a remote mountain, analyzing the situation and waiting for the opportunity to give play to his talents.
Liu Bei, a distant but ambitious relative of the royal family, was defeated repeatedly by other warlords and his spouses were held captive many times due to the lack of a capable strategic adviser, Tan says.
The Temple of Marquis Wu (above) in Chengdu, Sichuan province, has a replica of Zhuge Liang's cottage depicting the pivotal meetings between Zhuge and Liu Bei during the Three Kingdoms period, and a bazaar in the ancient construction style of west Sichuan. The temple also houses the tomb of patriotic general Liu Xiang, who led the Sichuan army during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45). (HUANG LERAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)
Admiring Zhuge's abilities, Liu paid him three visits in 208, asking for strategies to unify the country and inviting him to be his top adviser.
In an exhibition about the duo in the museum, visitors can see a replica of Zhuge's cottage which Liu visited on those three occasions. Likenesses of Liu and Zhuge are displayed in the cottage.
Moved by Liu's sincerity, Zhuge left the mountain and used his wisdom to help Liu found the Shu Kingdom, even though he could have helped far more powerful warlords who founded the Wei and Wu kingdoms.
Liu became the first emperor of the Shu Kingdom and Zhuge served as premier for 13 years until his death.
Before Liu's death, he said if his son proved to be a hopeless, weak-minded person, Zhuge could become the emperor. Liu's son did prove to be a poor emperor. But Zhuge offered help instead of dethroning him.
Zhuge excelled at managing state affairs and commanding the army. Shu was the weakest of the three kingdoms. During his tenure, however, southwestern China, which was the territory of the kingdom, enjoyed political stability and economic prosperity. He died of overwork at the age of 53 on the last of his five expeditions to northern China. Trying to realize Liu's unfulfilled dream of reunifying China, Zhuge led the expeditions that were aimed at conquering the more powerful Wei Kingdom which brought about the end to the Eastern Han Dynasty.
In the Hall of Zhuge Liang in the museum, the seated statues of Zhuge, his son and his grandson are enshrined. The son died at the age of 37, along with Zhuge's grandson, in 263 during the battle against the invading Wei troops that eventually toppled the Shu Kingdom. The son had turned down the invading Wei troop commander's offer to be named king if he surrendered.
Before Zhuge's first expedition, he sent a report to the throne, Liu's son, the new emperor, outlining his reasons for undertaking the expedition and expressing his lifelong devotion to the task of reunifying China.
The Temple of Marquis Wu in Chengdu, Sichuan province, has a replica of Zhuge Liang's cottage depicting the pivotal meetings between Zhuge and Liu Bei (above) during the Three Kingdoms period, and a bazaar in the ancient construction style of west Sichuan. The temple also houses the tomb of patriotic general Liu Xiang, who led the Sichuan army during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45). (HUANG LERAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)
His devotion to his country, as expressed in the article, influenced patriots of later generations, the most well-known being Yue Fei (1103-42), a national hero of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).
Yue's famous poem The Whole River Red can be seen on a wall as visitors enter the main entrance to the temple.
The poem shows the general's determination to wipe out the enemies from northern China who toppled the Southern Song Dynasty and removed the royal family of the Northern Song Dynasty to the north, and reclaim the vast tracts of land lost to his enemies.
Zhuge's devotion to his country also influenced Liu Xiang, whose tomb is in a corner of the park to the west of the cultural relics area of the temple. Although Sichuan was not occupied by the invading Japanese army during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, it contributed greatly to the struggle.
Even though Sichuan soldiers were poorly equipped, often wearing straw sandals, they were nonetheless involved in almost all of the big battles against the invading Japanese.
According to the statistics of the then Kuomintang government, the number of Sichuan troops killed and wounded during the war was about one-fifth of the total number of casualties of the national anti-Japanese army.
Wang Xiaochun, an official with the Sichuan Provincial Archives Bureau, says that 3.4 million Sichuan soldiers left their province to fight in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, 646,000 of whom were killed, injured or classified as missing.
It was Liu Xiang, then governor of Sichuan, who led the first 300,000 Sichuan soldiers out of the province in October 1937 to fight against the Japanese invaders.
In January 1938, Liu Xiang died of illness in Wuhan, Hubei province. Sorting out his belongings, people found a hand-written note with words "Sad that he had to die before he gained victory, leaving great men of succeeding generations wetting sleeves with tears."
The words are from a time-honored poem by Du Fu (712-770).
Du moved to Chengdu in 759 to take refuge from a nearly eight-year war waged by two rebelling generals who had led to the decline of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
The Temple of Marquis Wu in Chengdu, Sichuan province, has a replica of Zhuge Liang's cottage depicting the pivotal meetings between Zhuge and Liu Bei during the Three Kingdoms period, and a bazaar (above) in the ancient construction style of west Sichuan. The temple also houses the tomb of patriotic general Liu Xiang, who led the Sichuan army during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45). (HUANG LERAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)
Wishing there was somebody as capable as Zhuge to end the war and the suffering of the people, Du made a special visit to the Temple of Marquis Wu the following spring, writing the poem Shu Premier with the following lines:
Looking for the temple
To Zhuge Liang I find it
Outside the city under
Cypresses; green grasses
Among the paving stones
Reminding of spring, little birds
Hidden among the branches all twittering; and I think of how
Three times Liu Bei called
Zhuge Liang to serve him, how then
Two reigns gave this statesman
Room to plan; sad that he had
To die before he gained victory,
Leaving great men of
Succeeding generations
Wetting sleeves with tears.
The Temple of Marquis Wu in Chengdu, Sichuan province, has a replica of Zhuge Liang's cottage depicting the pivotal meetings between Zhuge and Liu Bei during the Three Kingdoms period, and a bazaar in the ancient construction style of west Sichuan. The temple also houses the tomb (above) of patriotic general Liu Xiang, who led the Sichuan army during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45). (HUANG LERAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)
Liu Xiang's last words "The war of resistance against Japan will be fought to the end, and the Sichuan army will swear not to return home until the enemy withdraws from Chinese territory" were recited by Sichuan soldiers on the front line during their morning flag-raising ceremony to encourage them in the fight against the invaders.
In February 1938, the Kuomintang government ordered a state funeral for Liu Xiang, and the tomb site was selected to the west of the temple's cultural relics area. Construction of the tomb was finished in early 1940.
Moved by his patriotism, visitors to the tomb place chrysanthemums there.
Contact the writers at huangzhiling@chinadaily.com.cn
