In the “Three Kingdoms Period” 1700 years ago, chaos and smoke of wars were everywhere, even in Yunnan. In the ancient town of Chengjiang County, Yunnan Province, P. R. China, legends and stories about the Three Kingdoms pass on from generation to generation. There is one figure named Li Hui, an outstanding one in those stories. Reporters visited the ancient town of Chengjiang in hopes of finding out more about Li Hui and his story. A temple and a tomb in Chengjiang ancient town will lead us to the history of Three Kingdoms Period. Li Hui Temple is located on mountains. Chengjiang was part of “Nanzhong” in Three Kingdoms Period, Li Hui was born into a big and rich family here, who owned power and wealth, even armies and guaranteed Li Hui’s good education. Apart from Family Li, four other families including Yong, Meng, Mao, Dong are also rich and powerful. When Li Hui’s uncle broke the law and Li Hui was about to be punished as a relative, Dong He protected him because they are from the same hometown and then recommended him to Liu Zhang soon after that.
Paintings in Li Hui Temple
Liu Zhang was in a war with Liu Bei at that time. However, Li Hui never came. He chose to go to Mianzhu and fight for Liu Bei. According to history books, Li Hui was smart enough to predict that Liu Zhang was sure to lose and Liu Bei would certainly win. The choice he made revealed his rightful insight in politics and his clear mind in complex situations. Liu Bei was planning to take down Chengdu after his army conquered Luocheng. To make sure of that, Liu Bei sent Li Hui to persuade Journal Ma Chao to yield. And Li Hui made it. That was a major merit of Li Hui, and from then on, his career went very well. Even when he was set up by some rivals, Liu Bei managed to prove his innocence eventually and assigned him to important positions. His talent in directing wars was highly valued by Zhu Geliang and he played an important role in many victories. So far, Li Hui had become a key figure in Shu Kingdom, and a marriage in his family provided more proof of that. Guan Yu, a famous hero of Three Kingdoms Period, had a daughter named Guan Yinping, the third child in the family. Guan Yu was killed in the war when he lost Jingzhou area, his daughter Guan Yinping escaped to Chengdu, in hopes that one day she could revenge for her father. Later on, Zhu Geliang helped as a match-maker and Guan Yinping was married to Li Wei, son of Li Hui. The marriage was beyond average for it was between two outstanding families, more like a political strategy due to the situation that Shu Kingdom was in need of support from important families like Li’s. Many years later, a rebellion of minorities broke out in the middle of Yunnan. Li Hui and Li Wei were sent to put down the rebellion, and Miss Guan followed her husband and her brother Guan Suo to the war. After their victory, She chose to stay in Yunnan, more exactly in Chengjiang. She taught the local folks to read, to sew and to cultivate, so she is highly honored here. After her death, Chengjiang people buried her in Jinlian Mountain, near Phoenix Platform, where she washed her face and comb her hair every day. Chengjiang people were grateful to her and they often came to mourn her. Even today, the Tomb of Miss Guan is preserved well and becomes a historical and cultural site of Chengjiang.
Tomb of Miss Guan in Jinlian Mountain
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