Special Supplement: Ancient Shu brocade shimmers through centuries

After visiting the 1,785-year-old Temple of Marquis Wu, which was built in memory of Zhuge Liang, the legendary Chinese premier and strategist during the Three Kingdoms period (AD 220-280), visitors to Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, often get a pleasant surprise by coming across a street in line with an ancient construction style, situated to the right of the temple.

Hidden in lush greenery, the temple, which looks more like a garden, is one of the best preserved relics relating to the Three Kingdoms period. It was the time when the Wei, Shu and Wu states were locked in constant war, trying to reunify the country and in turn creating legends to be passed down from generation to generation.

Named Jin Li, which literally means "homeland of brocade," the street was where ancients wove and sold brocade. Brocade contributed to the economy of the Shu state in the Three Kingdoms period, for Zhuge Liang, now the personification of wisdom in China, had to sell brocade to raise funds for his army.