Sailing continues until our next stop Fengdu.
Of course our destination is on top of a hill. But we disembark and walk through the food markets.
Then the good news, there is a chair lift. Ripper
Fengdu Ghost City is a large complex of shrines, temples and monasteries dedicated to the afterlife located on the Ming mountain, in Fengdu County, Chongqing municipality, China. It is situated about 170 kilometres downstream from Chongqing on the north bank of the Yangtze River.
According to Chinese beliefs, the dead must pass three tests before passing to the next life. First they must pass the 'Bridge of Helplessness'. This stone bridge was built during the Ming Dynasty and is a test for Good and Evil. It has three arches and only the middle one is used for testing people. There are different protocols for crossing the bridge depending on sex, age, marital status. At the bridge demons allow or forbid passage. The good are allowed to pass while the evil will be pushed to the water below. This is now done as a tourist attraction and performers characterised as demons momentarily stop tourists on the bridge but finally allow them across.
Then the dead must proceed to Ghost-Torturing Pass where they present themselves for judgment before Yama, King of Hell. This is the second test. In this area there are large sculptures of demons.
The third test is done at the entrance to Tianzi Palace where the dead must stand on a certain stone on one foot for three minutes. According to legend a virtuous person will be able to do it while an evil person will fail and be condemned to hell.
Back to the boat for our last night of the cruise and a chance to say goodbye to the staff that looked after us.
