Fengdu Ghost City 丰都鬼城

About Fengdu Ghost City

The three-arched Bridge of Helplessness, demon figures at Ghost-Torturing Pass and Tianzi Palace form a sequence of symbolic judgement. Treat these as religious and cultural imagery, with legends explained by the site interpretation. The mountain setting involves changes of level; choose the operating access route before beginning the ascent.

Fengdu Ghost City is also known as Youdu (幽都) and as 'China's home of the Divine Comedy'. Its afterlife theme combines Confucian, Taoist and Buddhist beliefs and is referenced in classic Chinese literature, including Journey to the West, Investiture of the Gods and Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. According to local tradition, the site is where the Emperor Fengdu (酆都大帝) and the Ten Kings of the underworld govern the dead.

The site's temples and structures also include the Heng-Ha Shrine (哼哈祠), the City of Unjust Death (枉死城), the Yellow Springs Road (黄泉路), the Terrace for Gazing at One's Homeland (望乡台) and the Hall of the Medicine King (药王殿), each representing a different part of the underworld theme running through the complex.

After the Three Gorges Dam raised the level of the Yangtze, the site became separated from the Fengdu county seat, which was subsequently rebuilt on higher ground on the river's south bank. Fengdu Ghost City remains a stop for river cruise boats bringing visitors up the mountain.

What to look for

• The Bridge of Helplessness has three stone arches and an associated afterlife legend.
• Ghost-Torturing Pass and Tianzi Palace contain the complex’s judgement imagery and major temple spaces.

Location & getting there

Getting to Fengdu Ghost City

Use the Ming Mountain scenic-area entrance on the north bank of the Yangtze in Fengdu. Visitors arriving with a river cruise should follow that operator’s dock-to-site transfer; independent visitors need a road arrival at the mountain entrance.