It was also widely believed that this was the place to which the souls of the departed journeyed. Many Han dynasty (206 B.C. to 219 A.D.) grave paintings depict scenes of the dead going to the mountain.
基於「禮記」所謂「魂氣歸於天，形魄歸於地」的傳統生死觀，這樣的聖域，便被視為死者升天的地方，所以在戰國至漢代之間，墳墓出土的繪畫或其他裝飾資料中，即出現了崑崙升仙的畫面。