Tai Shan

Azure Cloud Temple. Photo Javier Portoles.

Stairs

Stairs to the temple. Photo Javier Portoles.

The long pilgrim stairway to the top. Photo © SacredSites.com.

Stone inscription along the way. Photo Javier Portoles.

Stairs

Peaceful forest surrounding a portion of the stairway. Photo Javier Portoles.

Cloud Sea

Sea of Clouds at the summit of Tai Shan. Photo arkiben.

Temples

Temple buildings. Photo Javier Portoles.

Tai Shan (a.k.a., Mt. Tai, Mt. Taishan) is one of five sacred Taoist mountains in China. It is located in central Shandong Province just north of Tai'an City.

Tai Shan has an extremely rich cultural heritage and, in the words of Guo Moruo, a modern Chinese scholar, is "a partial miniature of Chinese culture." Moreover, the way in which the culture has been integrated with the natural scenery is considered to be a precious legacy.

Cultural relics on Mt. Tai include memorial objects, ancient architectural complexes, stone sculptures and archaeological sites of outstanding importance. There are 22 temples, 97 ruins, 819 stone tablets, and 1,018 cliffside and stone inscriptions.

History

Tai Shan is one of the birthplaces of the Chinese civilisation, evidence of human activity dating back 400,000 years to Yiyuan Man of the Palaeolithic Period. By Neolithic times, 5,000-6,000 years ago, it had become a significant cultural centre with two cultures flourishing, the Dawenkou to the north and the Longshan to the south of the mountain.

The Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C.) of the Zhou Dynasty (1100-221 B.C.) witnessed the first flare of cultural creativity with the emergence of two rival states in the area, Qi to the north and Lu to the south of the mountain.

During the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.), the state of Qi built a 500km long wall as protection from possible invasion by the state of Chu. The ruins of this earliest of great walls in Chinese history are still evident.

According to the doctrine of five elements, which dates back to the Spring and Autumn Period, the east signifies birth and spring. Thus, standing at the eastern edge of the North China Plain, Tai Shan has always been regarded as pre-eminent among China's five sacred mountains, first officially recognised during the reign of Emperor Wu Di of the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. - A.D. 220).

For over 3,000 years, Chinese emperors of various dynasties have made pilgrimages to Tai Shan for sacrificial and other ceremonial purposes. These activities have acquired political significance. Rock inscriptions, stone tablets and temples bear testimony to such visits. Renowned scholars, including Confucius whose home town, Qufu, is only 70km away, have composed poetry and prose and left their calligraphy on the mountain.

What to See

Tai Shan was also an important centre of religious activity for both Buddhism and Taoism. In 351 B.C. an eminent monk named Lang was the first to come to the mountain, and he set up the Lang and Divine Rock temples. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589 A.D.), Jade Spring Temple, God's Treasure Temple and Pervading Light Temple were built. Prime Minister Li Jiefu of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) regarded the Divine Rock Temple as first among China's four temple wonders.

Places for Taoist activities included the Temple to the Heavenly Queen Mother, Palace of Goddess Doumu, Azure Cloud Temple, Rear Rock Basin Temple and Supreme Lord of Heaven Temple. The Temple to the Heavenly Queen Mother, built before the period of the Three Kingdoms (220-280 A.D.), is the earliest while the Azure Cloud Temple is the most influential, its influence extending over more than half of China. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Azure Cloud Temple received several hundred thousand worshippers annually.

Quick Facts

Site Information
Names:	Tai Shan
Location:	Shandong, China
Faith:	Taoism
Category:	Sacred Mountains; World Heritage Sites
Status:	active
Visitor Information
Coordinates:	36.256845° N, 117.100632° E (view on Google Maps)
Lodging:	View hotels near this location

Note: This information was accurate when published and we do our best to keep it updated, but details such as opening hours can change without notice. To avoid disappointment, please check with the site directly before making a special trip.

Location Map

Below is a location map and aerial view of Tai Shan. Using the buttons on the left, zoom in for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings. Click and drag the map to move around. For a larger view, see our China Map.

Article Sources

UNESCO Natural Site Datasheet

More Information

Mt. Taishan - UNESCO World Heritage List
Tai Shan - Frommer's Guide
Mount Taishan (Tai Shan) - Travel China Guide
Photos of Tai Shan - Bill Irwin Photography

Last updated on July 25, 2009.