Julie Miller joins the stampede through the Gates of Hell in what remains of China's City of Ghosts.
My first visit to the Chinese city of Fengdu apparently won't be my last. According to Chinese mythology, when I die my soul will be transported to this ancient mountain-top complex of pavilions, temples and bridges to be tested and judged.
Should by some miracle I be deemed virtuous, I will be given a passport to paradise. But if, like the vast majority of humankind, I fail to satisfy the bureaucratic deities of the afterlife, I'll be punished for my earthly sins.
And if the graphic depictions of torture scattered throughout the "City of Ghosts" are to be believed, it won't be a pretty sight.
Philanderers will be sawn in half through the groin; liars stretched on a rack or plunged into boiling oil. Those of us who like a drink will be whisked away by the menacing demon of alcoholics; while a vampiric siren ensures those who seek the pleasures of the flesh will get more than they bargained for in the netherworld.
What tortures await those who squat butt-naked under the leer of a befanged demon with bulging eyes is anyone's guess and - judging by the number of people photographing this pornographic effigy - of great curiosity.
But at the end of all the torture lies another chance - reincarnation. The ultimate punishment is to come back as a lower life form, such as a dog or an insect. After selecting a polished stone etched with a Chinese symbol from a box, it is revealed I will return as a government official, arguably better than a cockroach - but only just. My friend is fortunate in her lucky-dip choice; she will return as an emperor, new clothes and all. Clearly she has led a more virtuous existence than I.
This portal to the afterlife dates back more than 2300 years to the Ba Kingdom, with eclectic Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian additions made throughout the centuries. Open to the public since 1986, Fengdu is a popular day excursion on Yangtze River cruises, with more than a million people a year either climbing the 400 steps from the wharf or riding a rickety chairlift to the top of the mountain.
Our Chinese guides explain that Fengdu, on the banks of the Yangtze River 170 kilometres east of Chongqing, was designed for the dead, rather than being a ghost town in the American sense of the phrase - a town deserted by the living. In reality, however, that is exactly what Fengdu has become.
As we alight our Victoria Cruise vessel, we are alerted to some rubble poking out of the Yangtze not far from shore. This is the remains of the actual town of Fengdu, submerged by rising waters as a result of the massive Three Gorges Dam project. Five years ago, this was a thriving town of 750,000 people; today, they have all been relocated across the river to a new city, stacked up in concrete high rises .
To date, at least 1.24 million people have been displaced by the dam; 13 cities, 140 towns, 1350 villages and countless farms have been flooded, along with centuries of culture, tradition, artefacts and even tombs.
Fortunately, the treasures above Fengdu's Gates of Hell have been left intact, thanks to its natural elevation, but it's estimated that 1300 other archaeological sites along the 600-kilometre reservoir have been lost forever.
If you believe the party line, so faithfully recited by tour guides along the river, the massive hydro-electricity project - the largest construction project in China since the Great Wall - has not only become a symbol of China's might but is also reaping great benefits for those living in the Yangtze valley - 400 million people or a third of China's population.
"We now have a two-bedroom apartment with running water, electricity and television and we no longer have to live with our parents and grandparents," our guides tell us with fixed smiles. "We are very happy now."
Can't argue with that. Nor can you blame the government for trying to tame the floods that have claimed more than 1 million lives in the past 100 years.
The environmental cost of the project, however, is just starting to be realised, with even Communist Party officials acknowledging the dam has come at a potentially calamitous cost. "If no preventative measures are taken, the project could lead to catastrophe," the Xinhau news agency recently stated. These impacts include erosion and landslides, algae blooms and a deterioration in aquatic life.
During one of the many informative lectures held on board our three-night Yangtze River cruise, we learnt of the animals threatened by changes in the river ecosystem. The baiji dolphin is functionally extinct, with just seven living in captivity, while the Yangtze sturgeon has had its breeding patterns affected.
"As it swims upstream, the fish keeps hitting its head on something hard. 'Dam!' it says." A nice attempt at a joke but it's hard to see the humour in environmental vandalism. And sadly, along the stretch of the Yangtze we are cruising, that is exactly what I'm observing - a once-beautiful place, worthy of World Heritage status but now scarred by progress.
But for every negative there's a positive. The majestic Goddess Peak, her sheer face poking through the mist, is now 80 metres closer to the river. The dam itself is a fascinating sight, while the lock system that transports vessels from the reservoir to the lower level of the river is sheer industrial genius.
There are also less steps to contend with en route to Fengdu's Gates of Hell. A fact that I hope the bureaucrats responsible for the Three Gorges Dam take comfort in as they make their final ascent to face eternal judgment.
The writer travelled as a guest of Helen Wong's Tours.
TRIP NOTES
China Eastern Air flies to Shanghai and Beijing from Sydney and Melbourne.
Helen Wong's Tours, see helenwongstours.com, phone 1300 788 328. A nine-day Yangtze Downstream tour starts from $2290 (land only).
Victoria Cruises, see victoriacruises.com. Best time to travel is April-May, September-October. The rainy season is May-August. Expect fog from early November to March.
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