A trail lined with lush vegetation on Shefa Mountain. [Photo provided to en.whkfq.gov.cn]
Shefa Mountain in the Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone, along with Dajun and Xiaojun mountains, forms a triangular area, which has been proven to be one of the major battlefields of the famous Battle of Chibi – a major naval battle fought on the Yangtze River in 208 AD between the allied fleet of Sun Quan and Liu Bei and the vast armada of Cao Cao.
The battle demonstrates oriental wisdom through a series of ancient stories widely circulated in China.
Located north of Jiangchuan Pond and south of Tongshun River, the mountain is covered by dense vegetation and broad water landscapes. It is said that Zhuge Liang – a famous statesman, ideologist and strategist who devoted his life to his monarch Liu Bei during the Three Kingdoms period (220 -280) – deployed troops on the mountain to prevent an attack by Cao Cao's army.
According to ancient legends, Zhuge Liang always climbed the mountain to think of ways to defeat Cao Cao, including luring Cao Cao's soldiers into a trap by cooking delicious food emitting irresistible smells, and causing Cao Cao to lose trust in two of his generals who excelled at sea battles.
It is said that it was on Shefa Mountain where Zhuge Liang met a farmer and his two sons and was inspired to make use of Cao Cao's arrows by using boats with jacks of straw.
