Fengdu , on the northern bank of the Yangtze river , was in the past more popularly known as the “ City of Ghost ”. Its name can be traced to the“Fengwen”Dam and“Pingdu”Mountain, which are in the surrounding countryside.

It seems that the origin of the town's extraordinary reputation dates back to the Han dynasty (206BC-AD220) when two officials, Yin and Wang, became Daoist (Taoist) recluses here and eventually Immortals. When combined, their names mean “King of the Underworld”. Today, however, the town is thronged with tourists attracted by temples and shrines dedicated to the gods of the underworld.

From the Tang Dynasty (618-907) on, feudal rulers down through the centuries built scores of temples on Pingdu Mountain . They house sculptures of devils and demons in various fantastic postures. Some carvings are called“Between the living and the Dead”, the “ Bridge of Helplessness ”, the “Balcony of Nostalgia”, the “Palace of the Jade Emperor”, the “God of Constellations”, the “Palace of the King of Hell” and the “ Palace of Rosy Clouds ”. They all demonstrate the exquisite carving skills of the Chinese people of ancient times .

Shibaozhai (Stone Treasure Stronghold), on the northern bank of the Changjiang River and 52 kilometers away from Wanxian County. This is a rock over 30 meters high which juts up in the air and looks like a rectangular seal lying on the ground, hence the nickname-“Stone Seal”. In the early years of the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736-1797) of the Qing Dynasty, a temple“Lanruodian”was built at the top. To facilitate the ascent to the temple, a pavilion was built during the reign of Emperor Jiaqing (1797-1821) of the same dynasty. This wooden structure shaped like a pagoda 11-storeys high was built close to the stone stockade on the river side. Visitors can climb to the top of the stronghold by a spiral staircase built in the pavilion. From there they can enjoy a beautiful view of the wooded mountain ranges on one side and the winding Changjiang dotted with numerous white sails on the other. The fresh, cool breeze makes people feel relaxed and happy. The“Lanruodian”Temple houses a statue of Buddha and a stone tablet with inscriptions on it to commemorate the construction of the pavilion. These are among the important historical relics of the locality.

According to a popular legend, long time ago there was a small hole in the temple, from which rice poured out every day. Small as the stone hole was, it provided the monks there and occasional visitors with just enough rice for their daily meal. The grateful monks called it the “Stone Treasure.” But some greedy monks thought that if they made the hole bigger, more rice would pour out and they could make a fortune out of it. The moment they set to work, the“Stone Treasure”died and not a single grain of rice has come out ever since. That was a punishment meted out to those insatiable monks, the legend says.