 Mount
Tai
Towering in the middle of Shandong Province, and stretching into the
sea, the magnificent range of Mount Tai rises and falls for over 200
kilometers just like a giant sleeping dragon. with the Yellow River
flowing at the foot of its northern slopes, it has been regarded as
the first of the five sacred mountains in ancient China for its majesty
and beauty. Its summit, Jade Emperor Peak, is 1,545 meters above sea
level and is known as the Celestial Pillar. Overlooking the other
smaller peaks, it offers a breathtaking panoramic view.
In ancient times, Mount Tai was deified by the feudal rulers of various
dynasties and given the title, "Divine Emperor of the East Peak".
From the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty down to Emperor Qianlong
of The Qing Dynasty, many of them personally visited Mount Tai to
attend grand sacrificial ceremonies. Various other titles were lavishly
offered to the "Divine Emperor of the East Peak" by them
as a means to have their own names long remembered. These "royal
visits" contributed to the construction of many temples, pavilions,
and other buildings.
Not only emperors but poets, scholars and men of letters were fond
of coming to this sacred mountain, and left behind countless inscriptions
engraved on rocks and stones.
It many be said that the whole of Mount Tai is a vast open-air museum
of history, having on display much of an oriental civilization, which
is representative of the creative wisdom of the ancient Chinese people. |
