Youdu

Youdu, or Youdu (幽都), literally “Dark Capital,” is the mythological capital of Diyu, the underworld in Chinese folklore and Daoist-Buddhist cosmology. It is described as the seat of the afterlife’s administration and the residence of judges who oversee the fate of souls after death.

In many traditions, Youdu is situated in the underground realm or at the far reaches of the afterworld, accessible via gates or bridges from the human world. It houses a bureaucratic structure led by the ruler Yanluo Wang (Yama) and a court of judges known as the Ten Yama Kings, who preside over judgment, punishment, and eventual rebirth. The city is said to contain courts, prisons, and record rooms where souls are processed according to karmic deeds.

Cultural portrayals of Youdu appear in classic Chinese literature and religious texts as a setting for judgment and punishment; the concept influences later popular culture, including folk stories, operas, and contemporary media that depict Chinese ideas of the afterlife and moral order. The imagery of Youdu functions as a symbol of the moral consequences of earthly actions and the administrative nature of death in East Asian thought.

Related terms include Diyu, Yanluo Wang, and the Ten Courts of Hell.