Royal attraction

The popularity of the novel Romance of Three Kingdoms is luring visitors to the Temple of Marquis Wu in Chengdu. Huang Zhiling reports.

Long before Spring Festival, Yan Hong, a resident of Chengdu, Sichuan province, planned to bring her 8-year-old son to the Temple of Marquis Wu to visit the temple fair.

"Each year, visitors can see a lantern show and taste traditional Sichuan snacks at the temple fair. I want my son to learn something about this tradition," she says.

The Temple of Marquis Wu in downtown Chengdu consists of a park on one side and relics from China's Three Kingdoms period (220-280) on the other.

While the former is a big draw for locals during the temple fair, the latter attracts visitors all year round due to the popularity of the novel Romance of Three Kingdoms.

One of China's most famous classical novels, it tells dozens of dramatic stories of betrayal, loyalty and bloodshed from the war-torn period.

After the 195-year reign of the Eastern Han Dynasty collapsed in 220, China was divided into three kingdoms: the Wei, Shu and Wu.

Competing to reunify the country, the three kingdoms were perpetually locked in war, leaving behind stories and historical relics strewn throughout the country.