Hidden in thick greenery, the Temple of Marquis Wu in downtown Chengdu looks more like a garden than a centuries-old temple.

"It is a very interesting place," said Sun Chenbei, a visitor from Beijing. The temple was built as a memorial hall to commemorate Zhuge Liang (181-234), prime minister of the Shu Kingdom (222-263), who was awarded the title of Marquis Wu. It also houses the tomb of Liu Bei, the emperor of Shu Kingdom.

"I've never been to a place with so many manuscripts of ancient legends," Sun said.

The temple is one of the best-preserved remnants of the Three Kingdoms period (220-280) - the Wei, Shu and Wu - some 1,800 years ago.

The three states were locked in constant war, trying to reunify the country while creating legends passed down from generation to generation.

Covering 14 hectares and enclosed by red walls, the temple boasts relics from several dynasties including 47 gilded or painted statues of important figures in the Shu Kingdom, more than 50 stone tablets, 60 couplets and 10 tripods, ovens, bells and drums.

The best known of the relics are a stone tablet made in the Tang Dynasty and a couplet written 106 years ago in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Entitled "For Zhuge Liang, Prime Minister of the Shu Kingdom," the nearly 3.7-m-tall stone tablet has been known as the "Tablet of Three Wonders" since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Its text was written by Pei Du, a famous prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, its calligraphy was contributed by Liu Gongchuo, a famed practitioner, and its carving came from Lu Jian, a noted engraver. Liu and Lu also lived in the Tang Dynasty.

Written in 809, the text praises Zhuge's ability to manage state affairs and command the army, as well as his loyalty to the two emperors of the Shu Kingdom and his painstaking efforts to try to reunify the country. It compares Zhuge to the best prime ministers in Chinese history. Pei was known for his essays after serving as prime minister for three emperors.

Another famous literary work at the temple is "Conquering the Mind," a 106-year-old aphorism that is one of the most famous in China. It reads: "If a military strategist knows how to conquer the mind, a revolt can be suppressed accordingly. Since ancient times, people well versed in the art of war have never been bellicose. A leader can make mistakes if he does not make a correct assessment of the situation, being either too strict or lenient in implementing policies. Future governors of Sichuan have to take action after much deliberation."

It was written in 1902 by Zhao Fan (1850-1927), a native of Sichuan's neighboring Yunnan Province, to advise his student Cen Chunxuan to not always take a hard line. As Sichuan's governor-general in the late Qing Dynasty, Cen often suppressed his rivals using the military.

In 1902, uprisings led by farmers, who called themselves the Boxers, began against the decadent Qing Dynasty in different parts of Sichuan. The Qing government's rule in Sichuan was threatened because of the size of the uprisings. The government in Beijing was so frightened that it sent Cen to Sichuan.

Cen, who believed in the ancient Chinese philosophy of "meting out severe penalties in hard times," prosecuted the Boxers to the fullest extent of the law, killing Liao Jiumei, their leader in Chengdu. As Liao was popular in Chengdu, Cen's acts aroused widespread dissatisfaction and hatred.

Zhao, who was also an official in Sichuan, felt that Cen's efforts were doomed to failure as they went against the will of the people. Although he had been Cen's teacher as a child, Zhao could neither criticize Cen nor approach him directly to urge a change in approach, for Cen was now his superior.

Zhao, noted for both his writing and calligraphy, wrote the couplet "Conquering the Mind" and had it hung in the Temple of Marquis Wu. He hoped that Cen would see the couplet and understand what he meant.

Many days passed after the couplet was put on display without Cen learning of its existence. Zhao eventually arranged a banquet for Cen in the temple as part of a spring outing. There, Cen read the couplet and was told its meaning. But the arrogant Cen was irritated with his former teacher's "offence" and demoted him, banishing him to a faraway place.

It was only after Cen suffered major setbacks several years later due to his hard line and was almost dismissed that he truly understood the couplet's meaning.

When the Qing government sent him to Sichuan to suppress the Railway Protection Movement in 1911, which helped trigger the Revolution of 1911, Cen correctly assessed the situation. This time, he did not suppress the revolutionaries who later overthrew the Qing government in the Revolution of 1911 and established the Republic of China. Instead, Cen cooperated with their leader Dr Sun Yat-sen, and contributed to the new republic.

The couplet's rich connotations attract many visitors in the temple, including top Chinese leaders. When the late Chairman Mao Zedong visited the temple in 1958, he stayed in front of the couplet for a long time and highly praised it.

Sharp-eyed visitors to Chengdu will notice the emblem of a circular gold leaf, featuring four flying birds surrounding the sun in many parts of the city.

It is on the top of the overpass of the People's Road South leading to the airport, on outdoor advertisements promoting the city's image and on the television screen when one tunes in to the Chengdu television station.

The emblem, which represents Chengdu, has been chosen as the symbol of China Cultural Heritage by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

The emblem's exquisite craftwork and its representation of ancient Chinese people's worship for the sun and the Chinese nation's enterprising spirit account for the decision, according to the administration.

The gold-leaf sunbird, believed to be about 3,000 years old, was excavated from the Jinsha Ruins in the western suburbs of Chengdu.

The Jinsha Ruins, which cover 4 sq km, include an area for holding sacrificial rites, a residential quarter for the nobility, a residential quarter for commoners and a graveyard.

Archaeologists hail the ruins as one of Sichuan's most important archaeological finds after the discovery of the Sanxingdui Ruins in 1929.

On February 8, 2001, builders were working at an apartment construction site in Jinsha village. Suddenly they found ivory and jade were amidst the piles of mud.