Wuhou
Temple (Temple of Marquis Wu) in the southern
suburbs of Chengdu is dedicated to the memory of
both Liu Bei (161-223), Emperor of the Kingdom of
Shu in the Three Kingdoms period (220-280), and
Zhuge Liang (181-234), Prime Minister of the
Kingdom. The board hung above the gate reads "Han
Zhaolie Temple" (Zhaolie was a title given to Liu
Bei posthumously). But the temple is commonly called
Wuhou Memorial Temple (Zhuge Liang was conferred on
the title of Wu Xianghou after his death). The
memorial temple, dignified and simple in style,
houses 47 statues of Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang and other
civil officials and senior generals of the Kingdom.
The temple is furnished with many inscribed stone
tablets, the most famous being the Tablet of Triple
Success of the Tang Dynasty (618 -907) with its text
by Prime Minister Pei Du, calligraphy by Liu
Gongchuo and carvings by Lu Jian. The couplets
written on scrolls and hung on the pillars in the
temple are well-known for numerous aphorism. |