[2025 Qishan Attraction] Travel Guide for Wuzhangyuan Zhuge Liang Temple (Updated Mar)

Secret crossing of Chencang, Zhuge Liang Temple at Wuzhang Plains Standing in front of the temple, it's as if you can hear Zhuge Kongming reciting the "Chu Shi Biao" (Memorial to the Emperor). "I, a commoner, farmed in Nanyang, merely seeking to preserve my life in chaotic times, without seeking recognition from the lords. The late Emperor did not consider me lowly, and he humbled himself to visit me three times in my thatched cottage..." The Zhuge Liang Temple at Wuzhang Plains was built in the early years of the Yuan Dynasty's Zhiyuan period. On the east and west sides of the entrance hall stand the Shu generals Wei Yan and Ma Dai. Above the main gate of the offering hall is a horizontal plaque inscribed with "Five Zhang Autumn Wind." Inside the hall, there is a stone inscription of Zhuge Liang's "Chu Shi Biao," as well as a stone inscription by Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang commenting on Zhuge Liang's life. Above the main hall is inscribed "Wisdom Through the Ages." In front of the statue of Zhuge Liang stand four Shu generals: Guan Xing, Wang Ping, Zhang Bao, and Liao Hua. The side halls are dedicated to Jiang Wei and Yang Yi, to whom Zhuge Liang, who "devoted himself to death," entrusted the Shu Kingdom. In the center is the Bagua Pavilion. Halls dedicated to Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Huang Yueying, and others are distributed around the area.

Scenic spot features: Wuzhangyuan Zhuge Liang Temple is a cultural site with a long history. It was once the site of the military camp of Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of Shu Han. The Battle of Wuzhangyuan in the Bagua Formation was a battle that took place during the Three Kingdoms period. At that time, Zhuge Liang, the Prime Minister of Shu Han, led his army on the sixth northern expedition, starting from Hanzhong, taking the Xiegu Pass, crossing the Qinling Mountains, and stationed in Wuzhangyuan. The Wei and Shu armies confronted each other at Wuzhangyuan for more than 100 days. In the end, Zhuge Liang became ill due to overwork and died here without fulfilling his ambitions. This building faces south and north, towering over the original site, magnificent and majestic. Geographical location: The central area of ​​Wuzhangyuan Village, Zhouwu Road, Qishan County, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province. Opening hours: Monday to Sunday All day, 08:30-17:00, last admission at 17:00 Tickets: Adults are 30 yuan, children and students are 15 yuan, seniors aged 60-65 can enjoy a half-price discount, and those over 65 are free of charge. Visiting time: Suitable for all seasons, it is recommended to arrange 2-3 hours for the visit. Tour route: After entering the park, the first thing that comes into view is a majestic and solemn hall, which is a sacrificial place to commemorate Zhuge Liang. Then we walked along the winding path and came to a lush forest, which was where Zhuge Liang trained his troops in the past. If you go deeper, you will find a huge stone tablet engraved with legendary stories about Zhuge Liang. If time permits, it is recommended to walk through the scaled-down version of the Bagua formation.

Following the winding road up to Wuzhang Plains, one can gaze upon Qishan County from afar, and imagine that 1800 years ago, Zhuge Kongming might have looked towards Baoji with a similar perspective. Shaanxi, Gansu, and Sichuan have all retained numerous historical relics and folk tales related to Zhuge Kongming, prompting one to unconsciously imagine what the world looked like through the eyes of people back then. Despite the vast changes over time, traveling through the Qinling Mountains and passing through one tunnel after another, one can still appreciate the hardship of traversing mountains and the tedium that comes with it. Tunnels have reduced the time it takes to cross a mountain from hours to 'minutes' or 'seconds', and a minute for us today might have been a whole day for ancient people. This sense of distortion between time and space is something that cannot be experienced in the plains. Below Wuzhang Plains, the Wei River still flows, restrained and sluggish in winter, like a wild beast in the forest, quietly hibernating. It was this unremarkable Wei River that halted the eastward advance of the Shu army, and a great general fell in the mountains, marking another failed northern campaign by Kongming. Five expeditions from Qishan, each ending in defeat, yet this did not hinder the image of Zhuge Kongming as a 'god of war'. It is said that Zhuge Kongming has an especially large following in Japan, where the Japanese have even centered their version of the 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' around him—the story begins with Kongming's emergence and ends with his death—as for whether the world is divided into three or unified, the Japanese no longer care. Without Kongming, the Three Kingdoms loses its luster. From a certain perspective, Kongming's popular image bears similarities to that of Napoleon. People relish their victories and also praise their defeats. Just like Wuzhang Plains and Waterloo, people commemorate the defeated Zhuge Kongming and the defeated Napoleon, but intentionally overlook the victorious Sima Yi and the victorious Wellington. People prefer to use Wuzhang Plains and Waterloo to express the regret of unfulfilled ambitions, and rarely view these places from the perspective of their opponents. It is often said that history is written by the victors, but there are always some histories that bear the mark of the defeated. They may have been utterly vanquished in the mundane world, but in a more profound dimension of time and space, they stand tall and proud.

During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang stationed troops in Wuzhang Plains for his six expeditions to Qishan, confronted Sima Yi, but died of overwork in Wuzhang Plains. In order to commemorate Zhuge Liang, later generations built a robe mound for him, established a temple, which has been more than 1700 years now. The current Zhuge Liang Temple was built in the early Yuan Dynasty (1246 AD), it should be expanded and rebuilt on the original basis, because the historical records recorded by the central inspectorate official Guo Sijing of the Yuan Dynasty wrote: 'The temple has been since Han Dynasty', the two disputes today are nothing, the temple has been there for more than a thousand years, and it has been renovated later, which is not contradictory. Pay attention when visiting Zhuge Liang Temple, it is not like most temples facing north, but it is built on the north side of the platform, facing south to north, facing the Wei River, symbolizing that Zhuge Liang has been longing for the Northern Expedition all his life, pursuing national unity, and the same is true for the bell tower and drum tower in the courtyard. The Zhuge Liang Temple has a main hall, inscribed with 'Brilliant for all ages'; Yueying Hall (worship Zhuge Liang's wife); General Corridor; Robe Mound... The plaques, inscriptions, carvings, murals, statues in the temple... all show the admiration of later generations for Zhuge Liang.