Stone Sentinel Maze

Stone Sentinel Maze
Traditional Chinese	八陣圖
Simplified Chinese	八阵图
Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Bā Zhèn Tú
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	石兵八陣
Simplified Chinese	石兵八阵
Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Shí Bīng Bā Zhèn

The Stone Sentinel Maze was an array of rocks and boulders thought to be conjured by the Three Kingdoms period strategist Zhuge Liang using the concept of the bagua. The formation was located on Yufu Shore (魚腹浦) by the Yangtze River near present-day Baidicheng, Chongqing, China, where supposed ruins of the array exist. In folklore, when the Yangtze River rises in summer, the formation is submerged, but in autumn, the array resurfaces, with the rocks and boulders still left intact in their original positions.

In Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, after the Battle of Xiaoting in 222, the Eastern Wu general Lu Xun stumbled across the maze while pursuing the fleeing Liu Bei. Lu Xun entered the formation and lost his way inside. He was eventually guided out of the labyrinth by Huang Chengyan, Zhuge Liang's father-in-law.

Stories surrounding the maze

The following stories are examples of the Maze's use as a location for Chinese historical events. While they may be based in truth, they have also been altered for the sake of storytelling.

Lu Xun's encounter

In chapter 84 of the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, 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 region was deserted except for some scattered piles of rocks. The bewildered Lu Xun asked a local, who told him that qi ("energy") started emerging from the area after Zhuge Liang arranged the rocks there. Lu Xun personally inspected the area and decided that the array was only a petty display of deception. Hence, Lu Xun led a few horsemen with him into the maze, and as he was about to exit, there was a strong gust of wind. At that moment, dust storms overshadowed the sky and the rocks appeared to become valleys; mountainous piles of dirt emerged and the roar of thunder rocked the skies while the waves of the nearby Yangtze River sounded like the clashing of swords and beating of war drums. Lu Xun exclaimed, "I've fallen into Zhuge's trap!", and attempted to escape from the labyrinth, but to no avail.

Suddenly, an old man appeared and guided Lu Xun out of the array. The old man later revealed himself to be Zhuge Liang's father-in-law, Huang Chengyan, and he explained to Lu Xun that the array was constructed based on the concept of the ba gua. Huang Chengyan told Lu Xun that Zhuge Liang had predicted that an Eastern Wu general would stumble across the maze as he was constructing it, and had asked Huang not to lead the general out. Lu Xun immediately dismounted and thanked Huang Chengyan for saving his life. When Lu Xun returned to camp later, he exclaimed that he could never top the genius of Zhuge Liang.

Zhang Xianzhong's encounter

During the late Ming Dynasty, the rebel leader Zhang Xianzhong stumbled across the maze while he was fleeing from the imperial army in Chengdu. Through the guidance of an old man, Zhang Xianzhong led his troops into the maze and out. The pursuing imperial forces charged into the array. Suddenly, mist shrouded the area and the piles of dirt appeared to be hills and valleys. The imperial soldiers exhausted themselves over the night by attempting to escape but only at daybreak did they realize that they were actually charging at piles of dirt.

Cultural references

• The maze had been a subject for many ancient Chinese poets, such as Du Fu and Lu You.

• The maze and site are the setting for The Small Stones of Tu Fu, a short story by Brian Aldiss published in 1978.

• The maze is featured in many video games based on the Three Kingdoms era. For example, it is an inseparable element in the Battle of Yi Ling in Koei's Dynasty Warriors series.

• The Portal Three Kingdoms expansion set of the Magic:The Gathering collectible card game includes a card named "Eightfold Maze".

• In the 2008 historical film Red Cliff, based on the Battle of Red Cliffs, the allies Liu Bei and Sun Quan deployed their troops in a formation based on the ba gua. Cao Cao's vanguard army was lured into the formation and suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the allied forces.