Wuhou Shrine

Wuhou Shrine (武侯祠) is generally a Taoist shrine dedicated to Zhuge Liang. When referred to as "Wuhou," it usually means Zhuge Liang.

A Taoist shrine in the central district of the Shu capital

The most famous and original one is located in Chengdu, Sichuan, China.

It is a shrine that jointly enshrines the chancellor of Shu Han, Zhuge Liang, and his ruler Liu Bei. It holds special significance because of the convention that rulers and their ministers are usually not enshrined together.

Overview

The "Wu" in Wuhou Shrine refers to Zhuge Liang, who was posthumously given the title Marquis Zhongwu (忠武侯), and the shrine dedicated to him is called Wuhou Shrine. However, it is said that in later times, through works such as Records of the Three Kingdoms and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, generals and advisers of Shu Han other than Zhuge Liang, as well as the ruler of Shu, Liu Bei, and even his successor Liu Shan, came to be enshrined there. Because Liu Shan's reign was regarded as that of a foolish ruler who ruined the state, he was removed from worship during the Southern Song period. In 223 CE, Liu Bei's tomb was built.

Shu Han's Li Xiong established a Wuhou Shrine and moved it to its present location.

The shrine was organized into its present form, enshrining both Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei together, during the Ming. The ancient buildings that remain today were constructed during the Qing dynasty, and the Chengdu Wuhou Shrine Museum was designated a National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit in 1961. Inside the shrine, statues of Shu Han generals such as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei stand side by side, and inside the halls there are seated statues of Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei. All of them are later works, and they embody the images formed by the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.