Fengdu County is located at the center of the Chongqing area and is about 172 km (106.8 miles) from the downtown. With the Yangtze River running through, the county lies at the transitional zone between the eastern edge of Sichuan Basin and the surrounding hilly areas. The northern bank of Yangtze River in Fengdu is hilly while the southern bank is a higher mountainous region.
Fengdu has a long history. The relics excavated in the county demonstrate that over 100,000 years ago, there were traces of human beings. Fengdu, since it was established as a county in the year of 90 during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 - 220), has a history of more than 1,900 years. At that time it was called Pingdu County. During the Three Kingdoms Period (220 - 280), it was incorporated into Linjiang County, and later in the Sui Dynasty (581 - 618), a Fengdu County was again spilt out of the Linjiang County.
The town of Fengdu, said to be the abode of devils, is one of the first stops on your Yangtze River cruise. The famous “Ghost City” definitely deserves a visit. Situated on the northern bank of the river between Zhongxian and Fuling, the city was depicted as the City of Ghosts in two ancient, classic Chinese novels “Journey to the West” and “Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio”. The origin of the town's extraordinary reputation can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. —220 A.D.) when two officials, Yin and Wang, became Taoist recluses here and eventually immortals. Later in the Tang Dynasty, their names were combined to mean "King of the Underworld".
Thereafter, Mt. Mingshan gained its reputation as the 'City of Ghosts' where the king lived. Today, the town throngs with many tourists who come to visit temples and shrines dedicated to the gods of the underworld. Landmarks here bear horrific names such as Purgatory, Nothing-to-be-done Bridge, and Ghost Torturing pass; the three trials for ghosts who wanted to enter the netherworld.
