Fengdu, the City of the Afterlife
On a hill above the Yangtze stands a complex of temples devoted to the judges and trials of the afterlife.
What was reported
Fengdu, on the Yangtze River in Chongqing, is known in Chinese tradition as a gateway to the underworld. On Mingshan hill, temples, shrines and bridges depict the judges and trials of the afterlife, along with gods who protect the living.
Visitors cross the Bridge of Helplessness and try tests such as balancing on one foot on a stone, said to show whether a soul is good.
Explanations offered
The legend may come from the names of two officials of the Han dynasty, Yin and Wang, said to have lived there; together the names sound like 'king of the underworld'. The town was partly moved when the Three Gorges Dam raised the river, but the temples on the hill remain.
- When
- Temples built over centuries
- Where
- Fengdu, Chongqing, China
- Witnesses
- Pilgrims and visitors
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.