For many mountain-climbing enthusiasts, Mount Taishan (泰山 tài shān) is a must. Previously called “Daishan Mountain”, Mount Taishan is also known as“the Great Peak”, “the Great Mountain” and “the Eastern Mountain”. It is a perfect combination of culture and natural landscape, and can also be considered as the symbol of the Chinese nation.
Leader of Five Sacred Mountains
Mount Taishan is ranked as the No. 1 of the Five Sacred Mountains (the other four are Mountain Hengshan of Hunan province, Mountain Huashan of Shaanxi province, Mountain Songshan of Henan province and Mountain Hengshan of Shanxi province), though it is only the third highest. It is considered as the leader of the Five Sacred Mountains, partly because it is close to the sea and rivers, and rises abruptly from the relatively low rolling hills and Qilu plains. Its relative height is quite impressive, with an altitude difference of 1395 meters within the nine kilometers. Moreover, in Chinese culture, east is regarded as a sacred direction since it is where the sun and the moon rise. Therefore, Mount Taishan is associated with sunrise, birth, and renewal, and is often regarded the foremost of the five mountains.
As a site of historical interest, Mount Tai has been a perfected place for centuries. Dating back to the Yin and Shang periods (1766-1122 B.C), Chinese forefathers established five directions of north, south, east, west and centre. The east, where the sun rises, represents life’s fertility with the end of winter and coming of spring. Mount Taishan, located in a coastal province in eastern China, has been regarded as a propitious place.
For thousands of years, Mount Tai is the sacred mountain where Emperors hold ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven and earth to pray and say thanks for peace and prosperity. More than seventy emperors are said to have performed mountain worship ceremonies on Mount Taishan. Among them, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had visited Mount Tai for eight times. It is the first and foremost thing for emperors to do when they ascend to the throne, because Mount Taishan is regarded as the symbol of the county’s peace and prosperity.
Mount Tai held a sacred position in state politics, and also enjoyed a high status in the world of Taoism and Buddhism. Throngs of Buddhist and Taoist practitioners, scholars and celebrities all came here, leaving the place lots of historical sites and humanistic landscapes. The main cultural sites spread from Sheshou Mountain’s memorial site to Haoli Mountain and all the way to Jade Emperor Peak, creating the three dimensions of “Hell”, “World” and “Heaven”.
Mount Taishan is also famous for its diversified stone inscriptions, which were either inscribed by ancient emperors or celebrities. Most of the inscriptions were done with elegant font style, beautiful words and delicate design. In total, there are 1696 stone inscriptions in Mount Tai area, mainly of two kinds: inscriptions on precipices and inscriptions on steles. All of these stone inscriptions are precious records of the history of Taishan.
Picturesque scenery
Mount Tai is well known for its grandness and the southern part is especially steep and spectacular. The typical character of natural scenery of Mount Tai is imposing, steep, surprising, serene, secluded, profound, and spacious.
There is a flight of 7,200 total steps (including inner temple steps), with 6,293 Official Mountain Walkway Steps, leading up to the East Peak. Along its course, there are 11 gates, 14 archways, 14 kiosks, and 4 pavilions.
It has been a rich source of inspiration for countless maxims, poetic allusions, and literary works. The path ascending the mountain is littered with poems and tributes carved in stone, proclaiming the importance and beauty of the spot. Confucius and poet Dufu both penned poems illustrating their respect, and legend has it that those who climbed the mountain will live until they are one hundred years old. The peak of the Jade Emperor, rises some 1545 meters above sea level. The trek from base to summit is about 8 km long and takes approximately five hours. The climb is relatively easy until the half way point at Zhongdian Gate, from where the steps become considerably steeper.
A staircase leads you to the Heavenly Southern Gate, where you look around in the distance, enjoying with involuntary admiration the overpowering views of mountains beyond mountain and scenery beyond scenery. You will be awed by the numerous grotesque rock formation, clear waterfalls, giant pine trees, temples, pavilions, bridges, pagodas, as well as stone inscriptions by poets, scholars and calligraphers of various dynasties.
Each season here has its own beauty: bright flowers in full bloom covering the green slopes in spring; spectacular summer thunderstorms which are rarely seen elsewhere; blue rivers running across the mountains overlaid with red maple leaves in autumn; snow-capped mountains and frosted pine in winter that stage a quiet spectacle of grandeur of particular interest. On a clear day one can see peaks rising one after another. When the sky is overcast, the horizon disappears into a sea of clouds.
The sunrise and sunset is one of the marvelous natural phenomenons on top of the mountain and also an important symbol of the mountain. Standing on the mountain in the misty early morning and evening, you can see a colorful ring with blue inside and red outside, called “Holy Light”.
Dai Miao
The Temple of the God of Mount Taishan, known as the Dai Temple（岱庙 dài miào）, is the largest and most complete ancient building complex in the area. It is located at the foot of Mount Taishan in the city of Tai’an and covers an area of 96,000 square meters. The temple was first built during Qin Dynasty. Since the time of the Han Dynasty (206 BC ? 220 AD), its design has been a replica of the imperial palace, which makes it one out of three extant structures in China with the features of an imperial palace (the other two are the Forbidden City and the Confucius Temple in Qufu).
The temple connects Tongtian Street in the front and the winding path at the back, bringing the mountain and the city together. Ascending the mountain from this spot is a good choice, because it symbolizes going from “this world”to the “divine heaven”.
There are totally 151 steles and stone inscriptions from the past dynasties in the Dai Temple, which wins Dai Temple a title of Stele Forest. Among them the prescript inscription of the second emperor of Qin Dynasty was engraved during
209 BC by Li Si, the renowned official and calligrapher of Qin Dynasty. It is one of the oldest inscriptions preserved in China. Besides, the famous steles include Hengfang Stele (168AD) and Zhangqian Stele (186 AD) of East Han Dynasty and Madam Shun Stele (272AD) of West Jin Dynasty.
Jade Emperor Peak
In Chinese mythology, Jade Emperor is the most powerful god in the heaven. Jade Emperor Peak (玉皇顶 yǜ huáng dǐng), towering 1545 meters above sea level, is the summit of Mount Tai. The city of Tai’an, at the foot of Mount Taishan, is 153 meters above sea level, while the Jade Emperor is 1545 meters above sea level. Its altitude difference of 1392 meters offers tourists a breathtaking bird’s eye view of the entire area. It is also called Taiping Peak (Peace Peak) and Celestial Pillar Peak, which is long known as the First Peak under Heaven.
It was built in the honor of Jade Emperor of Taoism. There is a big stone in the middle of the yard in front of the temple, engraved with “The Summit of Mount Tai 1545 meters”. It could not be checked when it was firstly built. Rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty, it consists of Jade Emperor Hall where houses the bronze figure of Jade Emperor, the Sun-viewing Pavilion where tourists can enjoy the sunrise, and the River-enjoy Pavilion, a perfect place for tourists to appreciate sunset clouds and the golden belt of Yellow River.
Azure Clouds Temple
The Azure Clouds Temple (碧霞祠 bì
xiá cí), near the top of the mountain is another
grand building complex, a special combina
tion of metal components, wood, and bricks and stone structures. From the Dai Miao to the Azure Clouds Temple there are numerous stone tablets and inscriptions and ancient buildings. Visitors derive much pleasure from climbing Mount Taishan. From the red gate at the foot of the mountain to the South Heaven Gate at the top are some 7,000 stone steps, which wind their way up the mountain slopes, each step offering a different view.
For visitors, the penetration and influence of thousands of years’ spiritual culture and humanistic landscapes have catapulted Taishan Mountain to the top of the Five Famous Mountains of China. The mountain is not just a snapshot of the spiritual culture of the Chinese nation, but more of a precious world heritage.