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Discovering China - Story of Zhuge Liang By Margaret Trey, PhD Zhuge Liang, also known as Kong Ming, lived from 181 to 234 AD, during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He was born in what is now Shandong province. Zhuge Liang was a brilliant statesman and was considered the greatest military strategist of his era. He was Liu Bei's chief military adviser and was later appointed prime minister of the Shu state after the Three Kingdoms were established. Zhuge Liang is often depicted wearing the traditional outfit of a Daoist priest and carrying a goose feather fan in one hand. His reputation as a gifted intellectual living in seclusion earned him the nickname, "Crouching Dragon or "Wolong" in Chinese. According to historical accounts, Liu Bei visited Zhuge Liang's humble thatched cottage three times seeking his help. On the third visit, Zhuge Liang agreed to help Liu Bei's attempt to restore the Han Dynasty. Zhuge Liang was also a musician, an accomplished scholar, a visionary, and a creative inventor. According historical texts, Zhuge Liang invented the land mine, an automatic transport wagon similar to the wheelbarrow, and also the repeating semi-automatic bow called "Zhuge Crossbow" that could shoot farther and faster. It was believed that Zhuge Liang invented the Sky or Kongming lantern. He created the lanterns when General Sima Yi of the Wei state trapped him in Pingyang. After reading the message on the lantern, neighboring troops came to his help. One legend has it that Zhuge Liang invented the ... From: NTDTV Views: 275 17 ratings Time: 03:54 More in Shows