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Home Travel in Chongqing Fengdu Ghost City
Fengdu Ghost City

                 Ghost City

Far 170 km from the east of Chongqing (chóng qìng 重庆), on the north bank of the river with a history of 1,900 years, Fengdu (fēng dū 丰都), which also called the" City of Ghosts" on the Ming Hill (míng shān 名山) is a treasure house of local customs, culture and art, integrating the Confucian, Taoist and Buddhist cultures.  Why it has been regarded as the "City of Ghosts" ?

Entrance of the Ghost CityIt got its extraordinary reputation as the "Ghost City" in the Eastern Han Dynasty (dōng hàn 东汉). Two officials from the imperial court: Wang Fangping (wáng fāng píng 王方平) and Yin Changsheng (yīn cháng shēng 阴长生), got bored with the political life in the court and came to Mt. Minshan outside Fengdu City to practice Taoist teachings. Both of them later became immortals by carrying out self-cultivation. This story widely spread and Mt. Minshan became famous. Later in the Tang Dynasty (táng dài 唐代), When combined together, their surnames Yin and Wang, sound very much like "King of Hell" in Chinese. Hence the people began to call Fengdu the "Ghost City".


Two Naughty Ghosts
Portraits of Ghosts
Statues Displayed in the Temple
Today, the town throngs with many tourists who come to visit temples and shrines dedicated to the gods of the underworld. Landmarks here bear horrific names - "Between the Living and the Dead (shēng sǐ lù 生死路)" , "Last Glance at Home Tower (wàng xiāng tái 望乡台)" , "Bridge of Helplessness (nài qiáo 奈何桥)" , "Palace of the King of Hell (yīn cáo dì fǔ 阴曹地府)"-- where ghosts are said to have left the mortal world and entered the world beyond. 

The Ghost King It was the legendary capital of The Ghost King sculptured statue is 138 meters high and 217 meters wide. The tongue only is 81 meters long and mouth 70 meters wide. The pictures are carved in to the mountain for a depth of 26 meters. Visitors can climb the body of the king to the top of the mountain. Guinness World Records has listed it as the biggest sculpture carved on a rock. Ghost State by Daoists.
 

Burning IncenseLegends said "the dead come to Fendu and the devils go to hell." Numerous temples containing sculptures of demons and devils have been built on the mountain since the Tang dynasty. Travelers have given mixed reviews to this little "Hell World" exhibit. It is very exciting and a little bit horrified to tour the ghost city. Some attractions are very popular.

 


Bridge of HelplessnessBridge of Helplessness is a three-arched marble bridge. According to superstitious stories, ghost of the dead who could stride across the bridge in three steps was considered as a virtuous man when he was alive while those who could not were considered villains. They would drop down into the river below, and would forever be deprived of choosing a new life. Ghost Torture Pass is the last test before entry to the nether world. Temples display instruments of torture and horrible demon images.


Last Glance at Home Tower
Maindoor of Ghost City
Scene of Going To the Hell

With temples constructed on the Ming Hill by the river bank and many statues of ghosts and devils molded in the temples, these terrifying statues describe the after-life where people who disobey ancient Chinese morals are punished in every horrifying way. By the standard of Hollywood movies, it should be rated the highest level.


Shot of Fengdu Ghost CityTo Chinese, the social structure in the hell is exactly like that in this world. In hell, a sprit would go through a whole and complete bureaucracy to get the final sentence. The pure spirits would be rewarded and the sinful ones would be severely tortures. Different tortures would be given to different sins. The Temple display instruments of torture and wide demon images, which vividly depict the Chinese people's imagination of Hell. Taking time to visit Fengdu Ghost City gives you a look into a 2,000-year history, one that has been built with a strong belief in the afterlife.

As a westerner you might feel it is a very weird scene to see so many imagined figures, too ugly to approach them. Anyway, it is a tiny part of Chinese traditional culture and some of the legends might be narrated by the guide or introduction wordings in the pamphlets.

 

Temple Fair of the Ghost CityTips:
Opening hours :
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Admission fee : RMB 80
Telephone:023-70613323
Recommended hour : 2 hours
Other information :
Demonstrations and performances of various local customs and practices are held at the "Temple Fair of the Ghost City" every March 3 by the lunar calendar, attracting numerous visitors from home and abroad with its long history, unique culture, fascinating legends and beautiful views.
From the ship pier, you can climb the winding cobblestone road or take a cable car to reach the 288 meter-high hill. Some ships arrange an early night visit to the ghost city just to catch the terrifying effects.