Page 462 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

F E NGD U 4 2 3

ernmost quarter of the universe (it is also called Beifeng ::jt~~ or Northern
Feng), Mount Fengdu is the seat of the cosmological Yin principle. There one
finds the Six Heavens, celestial macrocosmic grottoes considered by Taoists
to be the locus of all morbid or "expired" energies (guqi "$~) consigned to
evil and death (see *santian and liutian). A gigantic administration is hidden
in this universe of death, with palaces and residences, offices and law courts.
Fengdu runs throughout this otherworld, in the subsoils of mountains (like
*Taishan) and rivers. Records of the dead are kept there and checked in due
time. Virtuous deceased are carried to celestial paradises, while sinners are sent
to "earth prisons" (diyu l1!?filX) typically located in the depths of the celestial
grottoes. The huge and complex bureaucracy constantly at work in Fengdu is
hierarchically organized: from the highest officials who were eminent figures
during their lifetimes, down to simple demons (*gui), factotums in charge of
seizing those whose time in the world of the living is over. Therefore, the dead
administer the dead. At the top of this otherworldly administration reigns the
Northern Emperor, *Beidi.
For the Taoists of the Six Dynasties, Mount Fengdu, although dearly con-
sidered to be a court of justice for the dead, paradoxically was also a place of
splendor and marvel. Shangqing documents describe its palaces as covered
with jewels and pearls, mentioning various detail such as the extraordinary
rice that grows there. It was only during the Tang dynasty. and under Buddhist
influence, that the Taoist vision of the infernal world reached maturation and
the mountain became a center of torture and horror for dead sinners.
Although Fengdu is a mythical toponym, it has also materialized as a
geographical reality in different times and regions. The best-known worldly
implantation of the infernal mountain seems to have occurred during the
Song dynasty. On the banks of the Yangzi River, in Sichuan province, the small
town of Fengdu and its hill, "Mount" Pingdu ~c&'~, are still visited today by
pilgrims. The village, also called the City of Demons (Guicheng %~), will
soon undergo major transformations as the result of the Three Gorges Dam
project, but Pingdu, the point of access to the infernal world, will survive.
Christine MOLLIER

m Chenivesse 1997a; Chenivesse 1997b; Chenivesse 1998; Despeux 1994, 97-99;
Mollier 1997
* Beidi; HELL; OTHERWORLDLY BUREAUCRACY