Chinese hell is a brutal place, and it is a similar and inter-related concept in concept in folk religion, Taoism and Buddhism. Basically, somebody is tortured on a daily basis until they are fit to be reincarnated. And then, who knows what they will be reincarnated as? As brutal as this is, sometimes you can find recreations of these hellscapes in both Taoist and and Buddhist temples. Technically speaking, hell in traditional Chinese religions (Read: not Christianity or Islam) is almost a misnomer. If you go to the Christian underworld, you are stuck there for eternity. If you go to the Chinese version, eventually you will be reincarnated out of it. So, perhaps purgatory is a better word? Here are some pictures to celebrate Halloween with.
These two guys are known as the Heibai Wuchang. They are a grisly version of ying and yang. Usually, they are shackled together and must travel together. Their jobs are to ferry sinners to the underworld for punishment. It's best to think of them as Chinese grim reapers. Once there, the sinners are tortured and are judged by this guy...
No, not the guy getting his head sawed in half, the guy at the desk behind him. That guy is called a Yama. Chinese hell has many of them, and they have jurisdiction and can decide who can leave and who must stay. If you don't past muster, you end up like this guy, getting your tongue ripped out on a daily basis ... or worse.
