Nanyang Wuhou Shrine sits on Wolong Hill in the west of Nanyang City, Henan Province. First built during the Wei and Jin dynasties, it has a history of over 1,800 years. This is where Zhuge Liang lived in seclusion and where Liu Bei made three visits to invite him to serve—you know, the famous “Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage” story.
Step into the shrine, and you’ll see the grand, elegant stone archway carved with “A Man of Dragon-like Talent Through the Ages”. Inside, there are many ancient buildings. There’s the Great Worship Hall, which has a lifelike sitting statue of Zhuge Liang. The Thatched Cottage is the exact spot of the “Three Visits”—it’s really meaningful. The Ningyuan Tower is the tallest building here; climb up, and you can enjoy a great view of Wancheng City. The shrine also has lots of old trees, stone carvings, and plaques. One highlight is Yue Fei’s calligraphy of The Memorial on Sending Troops—the handwriting is bold and sharp, super precious.
But the most interesting part here is definitely Zhuge Liang’s Eight-Trigram Maze. It’s designed based on Zhuge Liang’s Eight-Trigram Battle Formation, like a real-life maze. The core of this maze is the “Eight Gates”: Xiu (Rest), Sheng (Birth), Shang (Injury), Du (Block), Jing (Scenery), Si (Death), Jing (Surprise), and Kai (Open). Each gate leads to a different area or direction.
Walk into the maze, and it feels like entering a mysterious world. The paths twist and turn, and it’s easy to lose your way. Some people wander around for ages without finding the exit—like being stuck in a huge puzzle.
This maze isn’t just fun; it’s full of ancient wisdom too. It uses the principles of the Eight Trigrams, so you can feel how amazing ancient military strategies were while playing. When night falls, all the lights in the maze turn on. The whole place glows like a river of stars—it’s stunning. Whether you’re an adult or a kid, when you come to Nanyang Wuhou Shrine, you’ll be drawn to this Eight-Trigram Maze. You just can’t help but try it out and marvel at how smart the ancients were.
Nanyang Wuhou Shrine is a place full of history and culture. It lets us feel how great Zhuge Liang was, and also lets us experience the charm of ancient culture.
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