Taian
Overview

“Home of the Holy Mountain”
Just a two-hour high-speed train ride south of Beijing lies Tai’an city in West Shandong that also borders with Shandong’s capital, Jinan. The first syllable, “Tai”, refers to Mount Tai and “an” simply means peace. A bustling city of nearly 5.5 million people, Tai’an is best known for hosting Mount Tai. Its soaring peaks, stunning sunrises, and sacred history will take your breath away. There is a belief in China that if you make a wish when standing closer to the sky – such as on a mountain – then it will reach the gods sooner.
There are 5 holy Taoist mountains in China, and Mount Tai is the most sacred of them all. It has been worshipped since the 11th century BC, and some can be traced back 3,000 years ago to the Shang Dynasty. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, and it now receives 6 million tourists every year. Of the 19 World Heritage sites in the world, Mt. Tai is one that combines both natural and cultural heritage. An old adage mentions, that if you climb Mount Tai, you will reach 100 years old.
Tai’an is the gateway city to the sacred slopes of Mt. Tai. The mountain is 1,532m above sea level, with a walking distance of 7.5km from the base to the summit on the central route. There is an option to take a cable car up part of the journey, or hike – over 6,000 steps – to the top where you will reach the South Heaven’s Gate. The cable car ascent is surprisingly steep, lengthy, and affords incredible views – deep in the clouds. Stay at the imperial palace (apartment) “Bixia Temple” if available during your stay. Peek through the thick clouds over the top of the mountain ridge into infinity.
Mt. Tai has always been known as a sacred place to the Chinese people. 3 founding emperors of China, Emperors Yao, Shun and Yu are said to have reached the peak to worship the Heaven. Ever since, all emperors of China, with no exception, have followed in the footsteps of their ancestral royal line. Worshiping the Heavens at the top of Mt. Tai became a due process to legitimize emperors to mandate their governance. On the mountain itself, you will find the oldest and largest Taoism temple in Shandong. It dates back 1,000 years, from the Song dynasty. When stepping over Taoist temple thresholds, boys should use their left foot first and girls should use their right foot first.
You might already be familiar with the concepts of feng shui and yin and yang, which belong to Taoism. At this temple, a goddess is worshipped, to help young couples to have children. Steep in history and supernatural allure, Mount Tai – and indeed, Shandong province – is legendary. In ancient times, people in China believed that the sun began its daily journey from Mount Tai. Watching the awesome sunrise, from the summit, is still a popular experience today.
The summit of Mount Tai is the highest point in Shandong province, as well as being the picture on the back of the 5 yuan bank note. When travelling in China, a fun souvenir is taking a photograph of the real life scene from each of the bank notes. See how many you can tick off!
The “East Route”, spanning more than 7,200 steps, is the most popular way to reach the summit. This route was often taken by emperors who travelled many miles to reach the top of Mt. Tai. The route starts from Dai Temple, passing the Midway Gate of Heaven and finally reaching the South Gate of Heaven. Although the climb can be strenuous, prepare to take anywhere from 2.5 to 8 hours to finish your journey. Not only will you be blown away by the sheer beauty of the landscape atop the mountain, but also hundreds of poetic calligraphies from well-known philosophers from past centuries of China’s history have their work here, including Ten Thousand Immortals Tower, the Arhat Cliff, and the Palace of Goddess Doumu. There are also Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian temples at the summit of the mountain, as well as a commercial street with cafés, shops, and hotels. There is a good mixture of both reasonable or luxury-type hotels to enjoy your stay.
The Dai Temple: Built in Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC) and expanded subsequently in every dynasty onwards, the Dai Temple is the very spot where the grand ceremony of worshipping the Heaven takes place. The Grand Hall of the Dai Temple, The Grand Hall of Confucius Temple and The Grand Hall of Harmony in the Forbidden City of Beijing are called the top three grand halls in all of China. This is a triangular spiritual fulfillment. Confucius taught the Chinese to observe hierarchy and obey authority. The ultimate authority is from emperors outside the Forbidden City of Beijing. Emperors, in turn, listen to their father, the Heaven. It is no wonder no one else would build any other larger halls in China. Shandong nurtures Chinese culture.
Baotailong Underground Rift Valley: The collision between Mt. Tai and Mt. Culai years ago formed a huge underground valley. Those karst caverns were found to run 1,300m long in 2016. The entire story started with the ground collapsing 100 m in diameter in 2003. Fortunately, a village was relocated safely. It was not until 5 years later when a farmer lost his drill while digging a well in his backyard and the discovery continues. The Baotailong Underground Rift Valley officially opened in April 2016. The size is so vast that you can only see the rift’s magnitude by riding on the 28-minute rafting excursion. We believe this will be the next wonder of the world. This rift valley is larger than the Mammoth Cave (82.63 mi2) in Kentucky, and Luray Cavern (64 acres) in Virginia, both located in the U.S.
The city’s motto is officially interpreted as: Mt. Tai of China goes with a world of peace. What an ambition!
TRANSPORTATION – to Mount Tai
By train
Option 1: Take a train to Taishan Railway Station and then transfer to bus 3 to reach Red Palace Gate or Tianwai Village. The starting point of the hiking route is the Red Palace Gate and Tianwai Village. It is the location to get a sightseeing bus to the Mid Heaven Gate. If you arrive at Tai’an High Speed Railway Station, then you will need to transfer to bus 37 or a tourism bus to reach the recommended locations.
By bus
Option 1: Take buses #1, #4, #6, #13, #15 East Ring Road Line or #33 or #39 East Ring Road Line from Taishan Railway Station to Dai Temple. After you visit the temple, walk north for approximately 1.2 km to reach Red Gate Palace.
Option 2: Take bus #16 from Taishan Railway Station to Peach Blossom Ravine. The bus schedule stops after 5:00 PM every day.
Option 3: Take bus 2, 3, 32, 36 from Taishan Railway Station and get off at Daizongfang Station. After that transfer to bus 19 to the terminal station at Tianzhu Peak. This bus stops after 5:00 PM every day.
Option 4: Walk north about 823 m from Tai’an Bus Terminal at No 1 Longtan Road to Taishan Railway Station and choose one of the routes mentioned in Mt Tai.
Option 5: Take bus 9 or 15 East Ring Road Line, 16, 25, 33, 37 or 50 from Tai’an New Bus Station at No. 139 Dongyue Street to Taishan Railway Station.
Option 6: Take the 14th, 19th, 45th, K37, K3, and K49 roads at the Red Gate Station to reach the Red Gate Entrance at Taishan.
Option 7: Take the 19th, K37, K39, and K39 outer rings; then K3 or K49 road at Tianwaicun Station. Get off at Tianshan Tianwai Village entrance.
Option 8: Take the 19th road and get off at Tianchanfeng Scenic Spot Station to get to Tianzhufeng Entrance
Option 9: Take K16 and K49 Road at Peach Blossom Station. Then proceed by car to reach the Peach Blossom entrance.
PLANNING
Mount Tai has four routes that can be taken to reach the summit:
The first is the East Route. This is also considered to be the imperial route because emperors took this ascent to make sacrifices. Along the path there is natural scenery, stone inscriptions, palaces and temples. On this route you will start from the largest and most well preserved temple Dai Temple. From there you will see Dai Zong Archway, Red Gate Palace, Jing Shi Valley, Hu Tian Pavilion, Eighteen Bends and more. The most famous which, as stated above, is Dai Temple, is where emperors stayed and offered their sacrifices. Dai Temple was first built in the Han Dynasty and was renovated and expanded in the Tang and Song dynasties. Eventually it became the largest and most well preserved temple on Mount Tai. There are 6,666 steps on this route (all 6s mean good fortune in ancient Chinese numerology). On this route, it takes roughly four hours to reach the summit. The East Route is the ideal choice for most tourists who want to see cultural relics.
The second is the West Route. This route can be divided into two parts: the high road from the Heaven and Earth Square to Mid Heaven Gate (notice that the names signify the ascent to Heaven), and the second part is from Mid Heaven Gate to the summit. The West Route is considered to be the most fashionable way to reach the Jade Emperor Summit because it has modern facilities such as the cable car from Mid Heaven Gate to the top of the mountain. Some attractions include Heaven and Earth Square, Black Dragon Pool, the Tomb of General Feng Yuxiang as well as the Longevity Bridge.
The third and most convenient way is the Peach Blossom Ravine Route. This route can be reached by taking the No. 104 National Highway and then go directly from the parking lot to the cable car. By taking this route, it is possible to reach the summit in just a few minutes. There is also a ropeway that is designed for sightseeing from the air. This gives a clear view of the scenery. The best time to take this route is in Spring and Summer when the peach blossoms are out.
The fourth and final route is known as the Tianzhu Peak Route. The word, Tianzhu 天烛 is also known as heavenly candle). It was given this name because of its candle like shape and the pine tree standing on top of the peak which looks like a flame on a candle. This route is the most rugged and difficult of the four. On this route you may also enjoy General Peak, Eight Immortals Cave, Big Tianzhu Peak, Small Tianzhu Peak and more. This route also offers a beautiful view of pine trees at Hou Shi Wu.
Food & Drink
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King’s lamb soup
Made from lamb’s meat, bone and organs. Usually eaten during the winter. The soup is clear and the fragrance is overwhelmingly attractive.

Pancake with green onion
The belief is that this food shows how the local people are honest and simple. For tourists who enjoy other kinds of foods besides scallions, there are plenty of other fillings that can be used as a replacement

Mt. Tai tofu dish
Taishan’s tofu is very famous. They were one of the best dishes offered to emperors when they arrived at Mt. Tai.

Dry fried red-scale fish (干炒红鳞鱼)
Dry-fried red-scale fish is a special dish only in Taishan, which used to be a tribute in the Qing Dynasty. The meat is tender, delicious, with fewer thorns, no astringency smell, and high nutritional value.

Herbal Diet Feast
Taishan cooks often take advantage of Taishan’s weather and soil condition as there are many ingredients that are good for Chinese herbal medicinal growth. Some of the recommended dishes are lucid Ganoderma steamed chicken, lucid Ganoderma steamed duck, Polygonum stewed lamb, four-leaf ginseng steamed chicken, Rock candy Huangjing soup, Ginkgo biloba knuckle and almond tofu.

Organic Vegetable Feast
Taian people love organic vegetables; and when they dine with friends in Shandong, the local organic vegetables collected from depths of the forest are always the first thing that comes to mind. Local people often share with visitors that these are the Emperor’s favorite dishes to purify the body. The most famous dish are ginger leeks, fried lotus and fried pheasant.
Experience
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Ming Stone Bridge
At #Taian’s Daiyue District, we found this oldest working bridge across Da Wen River. Built in 1567-1573, it is the oldest bridge on this river and in entire Shandong.

South Heaven’s Gate

Feicheng Peach Orchards World Scenic Area
Feicheng City is considered to be the holy land of peach flowers as well as the hometown of the Chinese Buddha Peach. The peach orchards take up 66,700 hectares (16.5 thousand acres). According to the Guinness Book of World Records, this peach orchard is the largest in the world.

The Qi Wall
Built 2,400 years ago. There is a section in Tai’an City, about 82 km long

Site Where Confucius Started Climbing Mt. Tai
To the north of the Yitian Gate of Mt. Tai stands a stone memorial archway with an inscription reading the “Site Where Confucius Started Climbing the Mountain.” The memorial archway was constructed in 1560 (the 39th year of the Jiajing reign period of the Ming Dynasty) to commemorate a well-known saying by Confucius: “At the top of Mt. Tai, the world looks small.”

Taian Ninyang cricket
Gambling pastimes like horse racing, F1 racing, World Cup matches, and even chicken fights have taken to people’s entertainment. I bet you’ve never heard of this type of gamble – “Cricket Fighting”. Only male crickets fight, but not nearly as bad as modern boxing. Crickets come in various sizes. The Ningjing cricket, also known as the “emperor cricket” is a popular one among cricket enthusiasts. It is among the largest in size, strong, and powerful enough to defeat its opponent.

Taishan World Antique Auto Show
Displaying more than 300 antique cars from all over the world, the Taishan World Antique Auto show houses the largest antique car collection in China. What is interesting is that you can find China’s very own “Jay Leno” private antique car collection here. Also, inside China’s very first car is an imperil sedan. At the time, 2 car manufacturers were making cars in China with 2 very different styles; but obvious enough, they are early Soviet and Western styles. One of the cars was used as Chairman Mao’s first car, and the Lincoln Limo was used by…

Water Margin Glass Bridge
The Glass Bridge certainly gains popularity across Shandong. Creativity is manifested or emancipated. The Water Margin Glass Bridge cracks when you are least prepared. Try not to go with your significant other, unless you can save him or her by instinct when the crack happens.

Lashan National Forest Park
Home to the Dongping Lake and the second largest freshwater lake in all of Shandong, the Lashan national forest is also famous for an uprising led by a local gentleman, Songjiang, from the Song Dynasty. Songjiang led 108 heroes to punish the greedy officials, and helped the poor and needy. This entire saga was written in one of the Four Great Classic Novels called the Outlaws of Water Margin during the Ming dynasty by Shi Naian.

Dongping Lake Scenic Area
Dongping Lake Scenic Area is located in Tai’an City, Dongping County. It is the only remaining water body of the 400 sq kilometer is described in the novel “The Water Margin”, which has now been named a “Water Margin” tourist route.

Dawenkou Ancient Cultural Excavation
Another attraction is the Dawenkou Museum which was built on the base of the Dawenkou archeological site. The museum is located in Dawenkou Town which is at the southern edge of Mount Tai. Historically, the Dawenkou culture lasted from 4300 BC to 2500 BC in the Neolithic Age. The museum shows tourists stone tools and pottery as well as the lifestyle of this ancient culture.

Mt. Tai Shadow Play (aka shadow puppet)
It reveals the simplicity and colorful life of local culture. The choreography is unique, where one person is playing, singing, talking, dancing, and managing percussions – all at the same time. There are at least two people during a show performance. The play has a history of 1,700 years, and recently became a world cultural heritage item in the “non-material” category. As of 2016, Mr. Fan Zhengan’s family studio remains the only one who has passed on his skillsets to his children.

Baotailong Underground Rift Valley
It is no brainer everyone will visit Mt. Tai when they travel to Tai’an. The Taishan underground rift is a secret zone between the two mountains of Mt. Tai and Lushan. The miraculous and grand sight shows how nature created a geological change. The rift is hundreds of meters deep and a rich groundwater resource in the cave provides the base to water-raft. Even the Guinness World Records certified it as the longest unpowered underground river rafting.

Mt. Tai Hot Spring
This hot spring is flanked by a ski resort and an entertainment center at the foot of Mt. Culai. The Mt. Tai Hot Spring is 20 minutes away by car from downtown Tai’an City. It is on the national historical hot spring registrar as one of the top four that is over 1,000 years old. The best springs to enjoy the most are oven the mountain stops. While the spring resort operates all year long, many people choose to enjoy bathing over snowflakes. There are also fish-massages which create a unique sensation as well.

Mt. Culai National Forest Park
Mt. Culai is a twin mountain of the many mountains at Mt. Tai. It is known for its vast collection of cultural relics. The national park is located 20 km south of Tai’an City and southeast of Mount Tai. The park has an area of 250 km2 (61,776 acres) featuring deep meandering canyons, waterfalls, lakes, lush forests, and 99 sharp peaks piercing through the sky. The highest peak, Taiping Peak is 1,027 meters (3,369 feet) above sea level.

Dai Temple
At the foot of Mount Tai surrounded by 2,000-year-old twisted Cyprus trees lies the Dai Temple (known in Chinese as the Daimiao). For centuries, China’s emperors would pass through the temple on their route up the mountain. Built in the Han dynasty, the design of the temple mimics the style of an imperial palace, one of the only existing buildings of this type in China, along with the Forbidden City and the Temple of Confucius in Qufu.

Mount Tai
As the eastern-most of China’s five great mountains, emperors, scholars, and pilgrims have been summiting Mount Tai’s 1,545m peak for over 3,000 years. In dynastic China, the emperor would pay homage to heaven at the summit and foot of Mount Tai. In addition to its sacred importance, Mount Tai is said to have four natural wonders: the sea of clouds, the heavenly aura (caused by light diffracting off clouds and mist), the glowing sunset, and the sun rising in the east the earliest. If you would like to see the sunrise, you will need to either hike up before…
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Events
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Dongyue Temple Fair
A folk art carnival at Dai Temple, this festival is known to be a relatively large festival celebrated in Taian. Tradition can be traced back as far as 2,000 years ago. Folk art performances, parades, flea markets, meditation, etc. can be enjoyed here.

Dongping Lake Water Margin Festival
Dragon boat racing, and picking lotus. Reenactment of 108 legendary heroes.


Taishan Paqiao Festival
People walked on the old bridge to expel bad luck and gain good luck. Hope everything will be better next year.

Mt. Tai International Climbing Festival
2018 is the 31st Climbing Festival in Tai’an. This event is the largest of its kind in the entire province, and it has even gone international. Registration is required. Participants are divided into 6 groups by age, gender, and nationality. The current record for men is 0:56:22, and for women, it is 1:08:33. “Rumor” has it that the entire length of the path built is 6666 steps, an auspiciously good number according to Chinese fortune tellers. Time to prove that is true.

Feicheng Peach Festival
The Peach Flower Festival is held in Liutai Village every April. The peach orchards covers over 16.5 thousand acres. Tourists from all over China and the world attend this festival. You can feel the world is full of peach smell at here.
山东省文化和旅游厅 Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism
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Authorized agency for Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism in the U.S.
(山东省文化和旅游厅在美授权机构)
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