Day 15: Fengdu Ghost Town, War Fire of the Three Kingdoms Show

Unfortunately, Markus has now also caught a cold and slept badly. We also find something for breakfast in the large buffet. At 8:40 a.m. we are sitting in the restaurant on deck 3 with earphones and a receiver with which we can understand our English-speaking guide well. We wait patiently until group 6 is complete. So that’s what it feels like in a group trip.

Today we are shown Fengdu’s Ghost City. In the early 2000s, during the construction of the
Three Gorges Dam, the water level of the Yangtze River rose by 100 meters and flooded the old Fengdu. The inhabitants were resettled and a new Fengdu was built. But today we visit the “ghost town”, a temple complex on the Ming Mountain. You can walk the first 400 stairs, or take the gondola as we do. While we are queuing, we are approached by a very nice couple from Canada. We have a good chat and sit in the same gondola. Once at the top, our guide tells us the meaning of the individual characters, statues, Buddha figures and much more. It is a temple of spirits, but they have always been here and have nothing to do with the flooding of Fengdu. During the revolution, many things in the temple were destroyed. It was rebuilt in 1980. It has become more of an attraction. The stone bridge is the entrance to the underworld. In the first house, Maitreya or the smiling Buddha welcomes us. In the last house, Yama is at home. In Buddhism, Yama is the king of the dead and the underworld. We go back on the way back. Back on the ship, there is something from the buffet again. And what does Markus’ watchful eye see? Spaghetti Bolognese, even Parmesan was served. Now after sleeping, resting, crocheting and enjoying the view.

After an early dinner, we took the bus to the “
War Fire of the Three Kingdoms” a great show about the history of the Three Kingdoms about 1,800 years ago and the spirit of loyalty of the great military commander Guan Yu. It was an open-air stage with water, fire, horses, ships, floating trees and warriors. The spectator stands drove back and forth, they even turned 180 degrees. Great show, well organized, good all around.