Tai'an Highlights
A pilgrimage-style day in Tai'an, from the imperial Dai Temple up the sacred stairway of Mount Tai to the summit.
Trip Stops
- 1
The imperial temple at the foot of Mount Tai, laid out like a palace. Its Song-dynasty hall holds a 62-meter-long mural of the mountain god on tour, painted around 1009.
📍 Tai'an, Shandong, China
- 2
A quiet Buddhist temple tucked under Linghan Peak, famous for ginkgo and ancient pines. A rock below its moon-viewing pavilion rings like a percussion instrument when struck.
📍 Tai'an, Shandong, China
- 3
The traditional starting point of the Mount Tai climb. It is named for two red-colored rock faces on the cliff that look like doors.
📍 Tai'an, Shandong, China
- 4
A Daoist temple dedicated to Doumu, the mother of the Big Dipper stars. Pilgrims have honored her here on the way up the mountain for centuries.
📍 Tai'an, Shandong, China
- 5
A hillside of roughly 2,000 square meters carved with the Diamond Sutra in characters about 50 cm wide. It dates to the Northern Qi dynasty (6th century) and is one of China's greatest stone inscriptions.
📍 Tai'an, Shandong, China
- 6
The halfway point of the climb at about 847 meters, with rest stops and the cable car to the top. The old stone path and the cable car routes both pass through here.
📍 Tai'an, Shandong, China
- 7
The steepest stretch of the pilgrimage, with 1,827 stone steps rising between two cliffs. Locals say the sublime Mount Tai is found in the climb itself.
📍 Tai'an, Shandong, China
- 8
The two-story red gate tower at the top of the stairway, a symbolic entrance from the earthly world to the summit area. It is not the top itself, as the real summit is still about an hour farther on.
📍 Tai'an, Shandong, China
- 9
A mountaintop shrine to Bixia Yuanjun, the Goddess of the Blue Dawn, and one of the highest temples on the mountain. It is built from metal, wood, brick and stone for the fierce summit weather.
📍 Tai'an, Shandong, China
- 10
Mount Tai's highest point at about 1,545 meters, the classic spot for sunrise. In front of the Jade Emperor Temple stands the Wordless Stele, left blank on purpose or worn blank by weather.
📍 Tai'an, Shandong, China
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