Fengdu became known as Ghost City in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) when two officials from the Imperial court married and settled on Mt. Minshan just outside the city. Combined, their surnames, Yin and Wang, sound like King of Hell in Chinese. |
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One of the first views you get is this large (ca 10 story) head.., which was going to be a tourist hotel until the Taiwanese investor went belly up on the project. | ![]() |
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Part of the actual town of Fengdu was submerged, but scenery above the "Door of Hell" remains. | ![]() |
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The Fengdu ghost place is also full of statues which were spiritually designed; locals believe that the statues have their responsibilities set for the security of the spirit world. |
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According to superstitious legend"the dead come to Fengdu and the devils go to hell". Since Tang Dynasty, forty-eight temples have been built in this place, such as the "Hall of the Jade Emperor", " the "Palace of Hell", "Boundary Between the Living and the Dead", " the "Ridge of Helplessness" and the "Balcony of Nostalgia". | ![]() |
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Here's the Big Guy... | ![]() |
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Here's what happens to all the bad boys and girls. | ![]() |
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Ironically, the area is literally a ghost city now because of the Three Gorges Dam project, completed in 2009, flooded the town and forced the region’s residents to relocate. Mount Mingshan is now a peninsula that is visited mostly by tourists on Yangtze River cruises. |
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