Chinese Underworld Atlas
About
Meet the figures. Trace the stories.
An atlas to explore at your own pace
Wanlingsi introduces figures, places, institutions and ideas from Chinese underworld culture. Entries distinguish textual traditions, historical developments, regional versions and uncertain claims rather than treating every late folktale as an ancient doctrine.
Illustration and play
AI-generated illustrations draw on the textures, lines and friendly characters of traditional Chinese animation. They are modern artistic interpretations. Jobs, scores and outcomes in the games are fictional.
Languages and privacy
The atlas supports Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean. Entry IDs remain the same across languages. Bookmarks, names and game records stay in this browser; changing language does not reset progress.
Open the atlas ↗Reader’s Guide
Before you turn the page.
What is the Chinese underworld?
It is a family of imagined worlds beyond death, shaped by ancient Chinese ideas, Daoist traditions, Buddhist karma and liberation, and local folklore. There is no single version accepted everywhere.
Are Yanluo Wang and the Ten Kings the same?
Yanluo Wang is a particular divine title, commonly associated with the fifth court in the Ten Kings sequence. The Ten Kings refers to the wider system; names and duties differ across texts and regions.
Is this a definitive map of the afterlife?
No. The gates, rivers and bridges form an artistic reading route, not a statement of universal religious doctrine or real geography.
How do the atlas and games relate?
The atlas explains cultural traditions and their sources. The games use the same themes for fiction and entertainment; draws and scores make no claims about real destiny.