Gulongzhong, about fifteen kilometres west of central Xiangyang, is where the strategist Zhuge Liang lived in deliberate obscurity for a decade before Liu Bei came to recruit him. Zhuge Liang's decision to emerge from retirement and serve Liu Bei was one of the pivotal moments of the Three Kingdoms period, and the site has been a place of pilgrimage for Chinese scholars and officials ever since. The story of Liu Bei's three visits — turning up twice to find the hermit absent, returning without complaint each time — became a foundational parable about the patience required to win exceptional talent.
The scenic area is pleasantly understated for a 5A-rated attraction. Wooded hills, a reconstructed thatched cottage, the Hall of Three Visits, and a Wuhou Shrine (honouring Zhuge Liang's later title as Marquis of Wu) are connected by shaded paths. The landscape gives a reasonable sense of why someone seeking strategic distance from Han-dynasty politics would settle here: it is genuinely remote in feeling, even if the modern city has grown around it. Entry costs around ¥60. Combine it with the city walls for a full day of Xiangyang history.