WanlingsiChinese Underworld Atlas
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Chinese Underworld Atlas

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Select a place on the painting to discover the stories behind its name.

Choose a place for a short introduction, then explore its full story.

An imagined underworld landscape with gates, temples, rivers and bridgesGate of GhostsRoad to the Yellow SpringsTerrace of Homeward GazeTen Kings of the UnderworldNaihe BridgeGranny Meng's PavilionSix Realms of Rebirth

Gate of Ghosts

A threshold between the living and the dead.

Full introduction
Gate of GhostsRoad to the Yellow SpringsTerrace of Homeward GazeTen Kings of the UnderworldNaihe BridgeGranny Meng's PavilionSix Realms of Rebirth
Gate of Ghosts
Places along the way · 01

Gate of Ghosts

A threshold between the living and the dead.

The Gate of Ghosts marks entry into the world of the dead. In Journey to the West, Emperor Taizong encounters it as the entrance to an underworld city, with streets leading onward to its courts. Later stories, temple landscapes, and illustrations gave it many architectural forms, from a gatehouse to an imposing ceremonial arch.

Full introduction · Gate of Ghosts
This artistic reading route combines familiar folk motifs. It is neither real geography nor a universally accepted religious itinerary. Locations and sequences vary by region and period.

This artistic reading route combines familiar folk motifs. It is neither real geography nor a universally accepted religious itinerary. Locations and sequences vary by region and period.