Qingming Festival: Praying to ancestors inside Fengdu Ghost City

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Today marks China's traditional Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb Sweeping Day -- many people visit the burial sites of their loved ones and make ritual offerings. In the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing, one popular tradition is to visit a local town that is known for its ghost culture. CGTN's Meng Qingsheng reports.

Fengdu Ghost City is known as the capital of the underworld in an ancient tradition. On Qingming festival, people gather here to pay respect to their ancestors. Zheng Rongbiao has been visiting Fengdu every year since the 1980s.

"To me, the main purpose is to pay respect toward ancestors, and show our filial piety to our parents. By adhering to these values, we can call it a meaningful life."

The site's history goes back to the Eastern Han Dynasty, nearly two thousand years ago. It consists of buildings, dioramas and statues related to the underworld.

SHERAE FORSYTH VISITING PROF. AT PEKING UNIVERSITY "I think many countries have a superstition, different ideas, which is fine. They help us connect with our families. They help us think about life and purpose. So many cultures have a similar thing."

The best known ones are a trio of attractions – the 'Bridge of Helplessness,' the Gates of Hell, and the Palace of the King of the Underworld. They serve as three major tests before a soul can reach the afterlife.

MENG QINGSHENG FENGDU, CHONGQING "The building complex behind me is the largest structure inside the Fengdu Ghost City. Legend has it that all souls in the afterlife are guided to this place, and receive the final judgment by the King of the Underworld. Now it has become a tradition for people to come here and remember their deceased loved ones."

Many visitors are moved by the ancient craftsmen, the unique styles of architecture, and the enduring lessons about good and evil.

"Many people misunderstand the culture here. There's no ghosts here. What they can get from the visit is the notion that 'good is rewarded with good, and evil with evil.' It calls for people to do more good things for society."

For Zheng Rongbiao, the place is more than a display of ancient ghost culture. He's decided to visit again next year, and keep the tradition alive. As capital of the underworld, the Ghost City has become a popular tourist destination for all visitors to Fengdu. Meng Qingsheng, CGTN, Chongqing.