Mount Taishan
Mount Tai (Chinese: Tai Shan) is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an, in Shandong Province. Its tallest peak is Jade Emperor Peak.
Mount Tai is one of the "Five Sacred Mountains of Taoism". It is associated with sunrise, birth, and renewal, and is often regarded the foremost of the five. The temples on its slopes have been a destination for pilgrims for 3,000 years.
Cable cars .
Visit October 2007
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Cable car alert! Yes, this is another WHS with a cable car (there are even two). It is a good cable car experience here, the ride takes about 15 minutes and is not recommended to people with a fear of heights. The day of my trip had started out very cloudy, and the last minutes up to the top the cable car was totally covered by the clouds. A little spooky.
I was dropped at the South Gate to Heaven, almost at the top. ‘The top’ actually is quite a large area with several shrines and monuments. It is worth to spend an extra 5 Yuan on top of the 125 Yuan entry fee to visit the 11th century Azure Clouds Temple. While most of the mountain is like a bazaar with tourists and hawkers milling around, the temple is a serene place where worshippers sacrifice money and food to the Azure Cloud Goddess. This Taoist temple also has several fine artistic details, like yellow glazed tiles.
After looking around at the top for an hour or two, I decided to walk down to get some feel for what the genuine pilgrims who walk up have to endure. Well, it’s very, very steep. And all stairs. The autumn landscape is marvellous though. The sun had come out and the walking was a pleasure. It took me 75 minutes to get to the Midway Gate of Heaven. From there I took the bus back to the base of the mountain at Tai’an, the end of an entertaining day trip.
More photos can be found in the Picture Gallery
Reviews
Dmitry (Ukraine):
Hands down, the most significant mountain in chinese history, although Huangshan is reported to be the most beautiful one. But nevertheless, wheather you are seeking for stunning views or want to touch upon the ancient chinese history and culture, Mount Taishan will be a perfect choice for both options.
I climbed Taishan at the beginning of the fall on the day The Annual Taishan Climbing Contest was held. I actually took part in it and ran the half way to the top, from the center of Tai'an city to the Mid Heaven Gate. That's where you can take a cable car to the top, which I didn't. If you choose to climb on all the way up, then prepare yourself for a tough ascending. Although the main sites to see are all on the top, but the route might be rewarding as well. There are waterfals, rock calligraphy, temples etc along the way.
When you get to the top, don't forget to take a picture or two with the famous rock of Taishan. I'm not sure if it has a specific name, but four characters carved on it say: "The Most Gorgeous of Five Mounts". This is, without making things up, probably the most beautiful piece of calligraphy ever carved in rock, and it's on the 5 yuan bill for that :)
You find the rock somewhere beneath The Jade Emperor Peak.
The cable car alert above totally apply to me. I didn't know there was another cable car before (now I know there's three), so I took it when it was time to go back. Well... I took the wrong one. After 20 or so minutes ride I found myself in a quiet place, with no crowd and no people at all, which was rather pleasant until, after 2 hours walk, I realized I was on another slope of the Mount and the walk to the city itself might take another 2 or 3 hours.
Now I think it was fun, but don't try to repeat it. Keep the cable alert in mind if you decided to visit this truly gorgeous Mount. |
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