Stone Sentinel Maze

The Stone Sentinel Maze (八陣圖 or 石兵八陣) was an array of stones thought to be conjured by Zhuge Liang using the concepts of "bagua". It was placed in Yufupu (魚腹浦) by the Yangtze River near present-day Baidicheng, where supposed ruins of the array exist. It was fabled that when the Yangtze River rises in summer, the array submerges into the river, but when autumn comes the array resurfaces from the river, its stone left at the exact same place. It was famous for warding off Lu Xun when he was in hot pursuit of the fleeing Liu Bei after the Battle of Yiling in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". The mysterious maze was also a training ground for soldiers throughout the ages.

tories surrounding the maze

The following may not be actual history, but common folklore instead.

Account from the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms"

In Chapter 84, as Lu Xun neared Baidicheng, he felt a strong enemy presence in the area and alerted his army to a possible ambush. He sent scouts ahead, who reported that the area was empty except for some scattered piles of stones. Bewildered, he asked one of the locals, who answered that "qi" started to emerge from the area after Zhuge Liang had arranged the stones there. Lu himself then inspected the area, and decided that the array was only a petty display of deception. He led a few cavaliers into the array, and as he was about to come out, a strong wind blew. Soon, dust storms were shadowing the sky and the stones became swords; mountainous piles of dirt emerged while the waves of the Yangtze sounded like swords and drums. Lu exclaimed, "I fell into Zhuge's trap!" and attempted unsuccessfully to exit.

Suddenly, an old man appeared and helped Lu Xun get out of the array. The old man revealed himself to be Zhuge Liang's father-in-law Huang Chengyan, and explained that the array had been constructed using the ideas of the "bagua". Huang said that Zhuge Liang had predicted that a Wu general would stumble across this maze as he constructed the maze, and asked Huang not to lead the general out. Lu immediately dismounted from his horse and thanked Huang, and when he returned to his camp, he exclaimed that he could never top the genius of Zhuge Liang.

Late Ming

In the late years of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Xianzhong's rebel army was fleeing Chengdu from the imperial army. By the guidance of an old man, Zhang led his troops into the maze and out. The imperial army then charged into the maze, and suddenly, mist shroudded the area, and the piles of dirt became hills and valleys. They exhausted themselves through the night trying to escape, and only at daybreak they realized they were charging at piles of dirt.

Chinese Civil War

In 1949, Chengdu was captured by the People's Liberation Army. Kuomintang remnants hid themselves in the maze, attempting to sneak out at night. Upon moving however, dust storms surrounded the area and the sky darkened. Some soldiers attempted to steal carrots from the nearby farm, but the farmland appeared to be frozen. Finally, the starving soldiers surrendered to the PLA, saying that Zhuge Liang had indeed haunted them.

Cultural references

*The maze had been a subject for many ancient Chinese poets, for example Du Fu (Eight Formations) and Lu You.
*The maze and site are the setting for The Small Stones of Tu Fu, a short story by Brian Aldiss published 1978
*The maze is featured in many games about the Three Kingdoms era, for example, it is an inseparable element in the Battle of Yiling in the "Dynasty Warriors" series.
*The Portal Three Kingdoms expansion of the card games include a card named "Eightfold Maze", referring to the Stone Sentinel Maze.