Introduction

Zhuge Bagua Village, or Zhuge Village, is a historical Chinese village located in the west of Lanxi in Jinhua city, Zhejiang Province, at 40 minute drive from the Qiandao Lake and a 2 hour drive from Hangzhou. The village residents are the descendants of Zhuge Liang and have lived there for generations. Zhuge Liang, an important military strategist of the Shu Kingdom in the period of the Three Kingdoms (220-265), also served as the Prime Minister and became a symbol of wisdom in Chinese folklore. Zhuge Village in Lanxi is the largest settlement of Zhuge Liang's descendants in China.The village was designed and constructed by Zhuge Dashi, the 27th descendant of Zhuge Liang, following the design of the Bagua (Eight Diagrams) principles of Fengshui during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). The Ying and Yang shaped  Zhong Pond is the center of the village with eight roads starting from the pond and stretching out into the village. What is surprising is that the eight hills surrounding the village naturally form a "Bagua Zhen (Eight-Diagram Tactics)" which served as Zhuge Liang’s design inspiration. The layout is compact and mysterious, keeping the villagers safe from marauders, so much so that even today, visitors can easily find themselves lost in the village. It functioned as a residence for the big Zhuge family; today, over 4, 000 descendants of Zhuge Liang live here, earning it the name of Zhuge Bagua Village.The village is noted for its rare and peculiar architecture as well as its well-preserved ancient buildings and structures. There are more than 200 edifices built in Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, among which the Dagong Hall, Chengxiang Hall are the most famous. In addition, there are 18 ancestral well-preserved halls in different sizes, four temples, three stone arches and two garden villas in the village. In a way, the ancient village is an example of  living breathing heritage.To follow Zhuge Liang’s maxim “It is a good man’s job either to become a government officer who can make people lead a better live, or to be a doctor who can cure illness”, many Zhuges began to do business in herbal medicine during Ming and Qing Dynasties. The folk building complex of the Zhuge village was included in the fourth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Preservation Units in 1996, and the village has been listed as a national AAAA level Scenic Spot.