In pre-Buddhist Chinese beliefs the underworld had existed as a parallel place to earth, with its own bureaucracy and the need for the 'dead' to have money and influence to prosper. These beliefs are frequently the theme of popular short stories from the Tang period (618–907) when the living sometimes found themselves accidentally in the world of the dead, and then came back to report on their experiences. This is one such story relating the visit of the Tang emperor Taizong to the underworld and his conversation with Judge Cui Ziyu.
Ink on paper
The British Library,
Or.8210/S.2630