ShanLiang

ShanLiang is the family ship between Liu Shan and Zhuge Liang from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms fandom.

Canon
Zhuge Liang is like a mentor and second father to Liu Shan. He tries to listen to the Emperor (Liu Shan) as much as possible and is always willing to harm himself if the country is safe and Liu Shan is happy. Liu Shan was ordered by Liu Bei to treat Zhuge Liang like his own father and always listen to his orders. Liu Bei also gave Zhuge Liang the rights to punish Liu Shan in a way he saw fit. However, since Zhuge Liang was often out on missions and was unable to be with Liu Shan, the eunuch Huang Hao was able to manipulate him.

When Liu Shan was still a young child, his adoptive mother (Sun Shangxiang) attempted to bring him along with her back to Eastern Wu. Fortunately, she was not successful. It was Zhuge Liang that sent Zhao Yun to apprehend Sun Shangxiang and take back Liu Shan. He also advised Liu Bei to not harm his future heir.

Liu Shan is regarded as a dysfunctional ruler. It is often said that the only reason he stayed in power was because of Zhuge Liang's hard work. Later, once Zhuge Liang died, Liu Shan was peacefully captured by the opposing army and lived his life peacefully in a palace with everything he could have ever wanted

Fanon
ShanLiang is not a popular ship in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms fandom. The fanbase for its platonic pairing is limited, as many do not prefer platonic shipping. However, in Dynasty Warriors, this ship is a lot more popular, with fans believing that Zhuge Liang is Liu Shan's uncle and that Zhuge Liang takes care of Liu Shan. This ship is often shipped alongside SunBei. It is more commonly shipped alongside XuanLiang, with Zhuge Liang taking care of Liu Bei's child when he can't take care of Liu Shan. For its platonic version, ShanLiang has one fanfiction on Ao3.

A more popular version of this ship is the slash version. However, since Liu Shan was only 16 when his father died, and many fanfictions are set in a time when Liu Bei is still alive, some fans dislike the ship. This has not stopped fans from creating content or writing fanfictions.

Fandom
FAN FICTION