Fengdu Ghost City is a sprawling complex of temples and shrines located on Ming Mountain, overlooking the Yangtze River. The site's reputation as the city of the dead dates back to the Han Dynasty, when two imperial officials, Yin and Wang, allegedly became immortals there. Their combined names sounded like the King of Hell in Chinese, cementing the mountain's association with the underworld. The complex is a physical representation of the Chinese afterlife, complete with three major trials for the deceased. Visitors must cross the Bridge of Helplessness, where demons judge the virtue of souls. They then face the Ghost-Torturing Pass, a narrow gate guarded by terrifying, colorful statues of underworld officials. Finally, they must stand on one leg on the Tianzi Palace stone for three minutes; only the virtuous can succeed. The site is filled with vivid, often gruesome sculptures depicting the various punishments for different sins. While many of the original structures were damaged during the Cultural Revolution or submerged by the Three Gorges Dam project, the mountain-top temples remain a bizarre and fascinating window into ancient Chinese spiritual beliefs and the architecture of fear.