Our shore excursion today was to Fengdu. All the villages in this area were relocated when the gorges were flooded. I think the shrines we visited today were once connected to the village of Fengdu but they are separated now on either side of the gorge.
It's called a ghost town not because it was abandoned during the flood but because the focus is on the underworld and afterlife beliefs of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism. At the top of 500 steps there's three trials to be conquered when passing from death into the afterlife built in the Ming dynasty, which in true Chinese-style is now a tourist attraction.
Trial #1: Bridge of helpessness
This bridge has three arches - the middle one is for testing people that you cross under certain conditions depending on gender, age, martial status ... if you're good the demons on the other side let you pass. If you're naughty they toss you into the blood river to be eaten by all manor of nasty things.
Trial #2: Ghost-Torturing Pass
Next on your quest to the afterlife is a visit to Yama, the King of Hell. This is not Yama, this is one of the demons that surrounds him. I reckon he looks like his footy team has just one the grand final. after this trial you pass by a diorama of the tortures of hell that were too graphic for this g-rated blog.
Trial #3: Tianzi Palace
The third test is balancing on one foot on a stone out the front of this building. If you can manage it for 3 minutes you go to the good place. That group of people in the pic below are about to have a go at balancing. This building is 300 years old.
Last glance to home tower
A more recent addition the home viewing platform where the spirits of the dead can have one last look at home before departing.
And now for some scenery before walking back down the hill ...
and back to the boat along a very hotchpotch pontoon which I crossed over to the internal tune of don't fall over, don't fall over ...
so I felt very brave stopping to take this pic, today was the first day we'd seen the sun since arriving.
Captain's farewell dinner tonight was a Chinese banquet
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