Throw yourself off Taishan Mountain and you will gain heaven. Taishan is China's sacred mountain Taishan. Temple complex of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism

Mount Taishan has great cultural and historical significance and is one of the five sacred mountains of Taoism. Traditionally, the mountain was considered the home of Taoist saints and immortals. The mountain is located in the vicinity of the city of Tai'an. The highest peak at 1545m is called the Jade Emperor Peak. In China, Mount Taishan is associated with sunrise, birth, renewal. The temple on top of the mountain has been the goal of numerous pilgrims for 3000 years. Now you can climb the mountain by lift.
Location

Mount Taishan is located north of Tai'an and south of the provincial capital, Jinan City. At the foot of the mountain, the height is 150 m above sea level. The base of the mountain covers an area of ​​426 km².

Story
There are traces of human presence since the Paleolithic era. In these places, archaeologists have recorded settlements of the Neolithic period. At that time, two cultures developed in the vicinity of the mountain - first Beixin (4700-3400) and Dawenkou (3700-3100), then Longshan (2100-1600). During the Zhou era of the Spring and Autumn period (771-453), the mountain was the border of the kingdom of Qi in the north and the kingdom of Lu in the south. In the subsequent Warring States Period (453-221), the kingdom of Qi erected a 500 km long wall to protect against attacks, and the ruins of this wall remain to this day. The name of the city of Tai'an is given the meaning "as long as Mount Taishan stands, the whole country holds on" - both signs in the name of the city have different meanings of the word "peace, stability."

Mount Taishan has become entrenched in Chinese culture as a symbol of stability. This was reflected in the saying "steady as Mount Taishan", often used by Mao Zedong.

Taishan has been a place of worship since time immemorial, at least since the Shang period. At some time, the ceremony on Mount Taishan acquired official status; the mountain became the main place where the Emperor addressed Heaven and Earth (fengshan 封禪 ceremony). During the feng (封) ceremony held at the top of the mountain, the Emperor thanked Heaven for giving him the mandate of power. During the shan (禪) ceremony, which took place at the foot, the Emperor thanked the Earth for the sent down harvest. In 219 BC e. Emperor Qin Shi Huang held a ceremony atop Mount Taishan and proclaimed the unification of the entire Empire. After him, many Chinese Emperors performed solemn ceremonies on the top of the mountain on the occasion of any especially important events.

The Han Emperor Wu Di repeatedly climbed Mount Taishan and organized regular sacrifices. For this he built palaces and towers on the mountain itself and at its foot.

Since 1987, Taishan Mountain has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2003, the mountain was visited by 6 million pilgrims and tourists. According to a new project, since 2005 religious buildings have been restored, and modern buildings that harm the landscape have been removed.
Nature
Geology

Mount Taishan is a tilted fault massif, the height of which increases from north to south. This is the oldest example of a paleo-metamorphic formation of the Cambrian period in eastern China. The Taishan Complex is composed of magnetized, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks interspersed with rocks of other origins dating back to the Archean. The rise of the relief in this region began in the Proterozoic, by the end of the Proterozoic era, the current environs of Taishan became part of the mainland.

In addition to Jade Emperor Peak, there are other formations of interest, such as Sky Candle Peak, Fan Crag, Back Mountain Hollow, or Immortal Bridge.

80% of the mountain system is covered with deciduous forests, which are protected by the state. The flora of the mountain is very rich, there are more than 1000 plant species. Some trees have been known since ancient times and have great cultural significance. In particular, the cypress of the Han dynasty, planted by Emperor Wu Di, the tree of Tang scholars (which is more than 1300 years old), the Pine that welcomes guests (500 years old) and the Pine of the fifth rank, so named by Emperor Qin Shihuang, transplanted 250 years ago.

cultural monuments

On the territory of the mountain there are 22 temples, 97 ruins, 819 stone slabs, 1018 drawings and inscriptions on rocks. On the mountain, 7200 steps were hollowed out and built up to the very top, there are 11 gates, 14 galleries, 14 stalls and 4 pavilions.

Mount Tai Deity Temple (Dai Miao) - the largest and oldest complex on the mountain, it covers an area of ​​96 thousand m² The temple was built during the Qin Dynasty. From the time of the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), the temple began to repeat the architecture of the imperial palace and the Temple of Confucius in Qufu). The temple has five main halls and many additional rooms. In the center is the Heavenly Blessing Palace (Tian Zhu), built in 1008 during the Northern Song. The Palace has preserved a mural "Journey of the deity of Mount Tai" dating back to 1009. The mural covers the eastern, northern and western walls of the hall and is 3.3 m high and 62 m long. The plot of the image is the inspection of the Celestial deity of the mountain. The temple is surrounded by cypress trees planted during the Han Dynasty, about 2100 years ago.

Other important temples are the Blue Cloud Temple, dedicated to the Goddess of Mount Laom, and the Temple of the Sacred Rock, which has a Hall of a Thousand Buddhas.

Infrastructure

Visitors can get to the mountain by bus, from the stop Sredniye Vor""Ota Neba" you can take a lift to the very top. It takes two hours to hike to the top. There are stalls all along the road, you can also hire porters.

The ascent starts from the Taishan Arch. On the path of 7200 stone steps, the pilgrim first passes the tower of the Ten Thousand Immortals (Wanxianlou), goes along the crest of the Arhats (Luohanya), and comes to the palace of the deity Doumu (Doumugong).

The full ascent from the very foot of the mountain from the city, however, takes seven hours.

To the northeast of Doumu Palace is the Sutra Rock Valley, where the Diamond Sutra is carved into the rock in 50 cm characters, presumably during the Northern Wei Dynasty.

According to an ancient superstition, one can "gain Heaven" by throwing oneself down from the top of Mount Taishan. Therefore, there were regularly many suicidal pilgrims who sought to throw themselves down from the top of the mountain. Measures have now been taken to protect the territory at the top from the possibility of such an act.







As part of the Shandong Mountains, which has become for the peoples of the country a symbol of eternal beauty and a sacred place where people who are thirsty to realize their purpose in life come, hoping to hear the answer in the mountain echo, the noise of foliage and the murmur of water.
Literally translated from Chinese, Taishan means "Mountain of Sunrise", or "East Mountain".
Taishan is also the highest point of the Shandong Mountains. The mountain is composed of gneisses, granites, shales, limestones. The rocks around the mountain are heavily dissected by deep tectonic valleys.
The mountain drops steeply to the north, towards the river valley. Numerous streams run down the slopes of Taishan, forming picturesque waterfalls. Almost the entire mountain is covered with vegetation protected by the state, there are more than a thousand species of plants.
In ancient China, Mount Taishan was considered sacred: it was here that the legendary Chinese Emperor Shun, who lived in the 23rd century. BC e., made a sacrifice to the sky, as it says in the "Shu jing" - "The Book of History", in its most ancient parts of the XIV-XI centuries. BC e.
According to legend, Shun is the last of the Five Ancient Emperors who ruled in the most ancient period of Chinese history - in the third millennium BC. e. Chinese folklore credits him with the creation of the national music and calendar. Confucius himself equated Shun with "perfect people": some researchers believe that they were aliens, and Shun himself, respectively, is a representative or descendant of an extraterrestrial civilization. Shun waged long and bloody wars with the Miao and Kung tribes, who did not leave hope of conquering China. Legends say that in these wars, the Chinese first used iron weapons.
From the time of Shun, in the minds of the Chinese, Taishan was a kind of underworld: it was believed that in the vicinity of the mountain, at the Hao-li hill, the souls of the dead gather. Even today, people believe that gold boxes with jade plates are stored on Mount Taishan, on which the life spans of people are recorded.
Hence the perception of Taishan as a deity not only of death, but also of birth (Eastern Mountain, sunrise and the beginning of life). It is generally accepted that amulets - stones from Mount Taishan, called shigandan, placed in front of the entrance to the house or at the beginning of the street, protect against evil spirits.
Later, Taishan began to be perceived as an intermediary between the ruler of people and the supreme heavenly deity, and under the mountain there was another, underground China. This intermediary is Taishan-jun, the god of Mount Taishan, the grandson of heaven and earth, who is in charge of the fate of people, the distribution of nobility and wealth, as well as the court of the afterlife.

Temple complex of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism

Grief Taishan is also associated with the cult of the goddess - the daughter of the ruler of Mount Taishan, the patroness of children, called Taishan Nyannyan - Mother of Mount Taishan. Her temple was opened on the 18th of the 4th moon, as it was believed that the goddess sleeps for nine months of the year.
The closest assistant to the god of Mount Taishan is the commander-in-chief Wen, in the temples of the mountain he was depicted with a bracelet (a gift from God) in his left hand and an iron mace in his right.
Temples dedicated to Mount Taishan and its spirit were erected not only on the mountain itself, but throughout China, this cult is so significant in the Chinese worldview. The birthday of the lord of Mount Tanshan falls on the 28th day of the 3rd moon of the Chinese calendar and is celebrated throughout the country and far abroad - in Chinese communities around the world.
Mount Taishan is located in historical center Chinese civilization and played a significant role in the spread of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism in China.
A narrow stone staircase with thousands of steps leads to the sanctuaries of Mount Taishan, which has become one of the tests of the strength of the faith of the pilgrim.
Taishan is one of the Five Great Sacred Mountains of China. According to Chinese mythology, they formed from the body of Pangu - the Creator of the Universe, and Taishan - from his head, when Pangu's body was divided.
In Chinese culture, the image of Mount Taishan has become entrenched as a symbol of stability. This is how the saying “Unshakable as Mount Taishan” appeared - the favorite saying of the all-powerful Chairman Mao Zedong.
When the mountain acquired a sacred status, only the emperor performed ceremonies on it. The Lord of the Celestial Empire performed a double Fengshan ceremony, addressing Heaven and Earth. During the feng ceremony at the top of the mountain, the emperor thanked Heaven for entrusting power to him. During the shan ceremony at the foot of the mountain, he thanked the Earth for the sent down harvest.
Over time, Mount Taishan was built up with temples and became the focus of numerous monuments of Chinese architecture. The local temples do not belong to any particular religion, adherents of all three main teachings of China come here - Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism.
Buddhist and Taoist temples were erected here, old buildings were destroyed, and new ones were erected in their place, and the number of these temples has long been lost. In total, more than 20 architectural temple ensembles have been preserved. A special place is occupied by about 2 thousand stone stelae and rocks, decorated with artistic carvings and inscriptions.
The largest and oldest complex on Mount Taishan is the Temple of the Deity of Mount Tai (Damiao), which includes more than 600 shrines and other buildings. The complex covers an area of ​​96 thousand m 2 and was built during the Qin Dynasty. It was often rebuilt in accordance with the trends of the times until, from the time of the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), the temple began to copy the architecture of the imperial palace with its vast courtyards lined with trees, arches, gates, many temple pavilions. The central place of the temple complex is occupied by the Palace of Heavenly Blessing (Tiankuangdian), built during the Northern Song. On its walls, the wall painting “Journey of the deity of Mount Tai”, dating back to 1009, is preserved, striking in its size: 3.3 m in height and 62 m in length.
The temples at the top of Taishan have been a regular mass pilgrimage destination since the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC).
Climbing Mount Taishan, which in reality is not one mountain, but a group of peaks, usually starts from the city of Tai'an, which houses one of the largest temples in China - Daimyao. A winding stone staircase about 10 km long leads from the northern outskirts of the city to the top. It has more than 7 thousand steps, which climbed hundreds of millions of people - from peasants to emperors. The entire journey of the pilgrim from the city to the summit takes seven hours.
In 1987, Mount Taishan, praised by the great thinkers and poets of China for two thousand years, one of the fundamental symbols of Chinese civilization, was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Also on Mount Taishan, there are traces of a Paleolithic man and a destroyed fragment of a 500-kilometer wall that the Qi kingdom erected during the Warring States period. An amazing natural object is the Bridge of the Immortals: it is not clear how several huge stones blocked the gorge in a chain at a considerable height, forming a transition.

general information

Location: East China.
Administrative affiliation: province, People's Republic of China.
Destination: temple complexes of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism.
The nearest big cities : Jinan - 4,335,989 people (2010), Tai'an - 1,735,425 people. (2010).
Language: Chinese (Jinan dialect, Putonghua).
Ethnic composition: Han - 98%, other (Hui and Manchus) - 2% (2010).
Religions: Taoism, Buddhism.
Currency unit: yuan.
Airport: Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport.

Numbers

Height: 1545 m (peak of the Jade Emperor).
The height of the foot above sea level: 150 m.
Base area: 426 km2.
Temples: 22.
Stone stelae: 819.
Rocks with drawings: 1018.

Climate and weather

Continental monsoon.
January average temperature: -2°C.
July average temperature: +26°С.
Average annual rainfall: 680 mm.
Relative humidity: 60%.

Attractions

Natural

Bridge of the Immortals, Jade Emperor Peaks, Thousand Pines and Sky Candle, Fan Crag, White Cloud Grotto.

Cult

Daimyao Temple Complex (221-206 BC) with Tiankuangdian Palace (1008), Blue Cloud Temple, Sacred Rock Temple (with Thousand Buddha Hall), Doumu Palace, Reclining Tiger Temple, Xiwangmu Fairy Temple, Temple Princesses of the Openwork Clouds (Bixyatsi), Temple of the Heavenly Emperor (Yu-huangdi).

historical

Neolithic settlements (Beixin culture, 4700-3400 BC; Dawenkou culture, 3700-3100 BC; Longshan culture, 2100-1600 BC), kingdom wall ruins Qi (453-221 BC), stone staircase, stone stelae and rocks with artistic carvings, Taishan Arch, Ten Thousand Immortals Tower, Arhat Crest, Stone Sutra Valley (Diamond Sutra carving), Middle Heavens Gate (Zhongtianmen ), Southern Heaven's Gate.

Jinan City

Baotu Spring, Shentong Temple (4th century), Thousand Buddha Mountain, Four Gate Pagoda (661), Lingyuan Temple, Shandong Provincial Museum.

Tai'an City

Daimyao Temple (1009).

Curious facts

■ In 2003, Tangshan Mountain was visited by 6 million pilgrims and tourists.
■ Taishan Mountain is featured on the 5 yuan banknote.
■ Mount Taishan is also associated with the first ancestor of the Chinese Fu-xi, mentioned in the "Historical Notes", dated 11-1 centuries. BC e. According to legend, he was a legendary leader of the early eastern tribes in China, taught people how to fish, hunt, raise cattle, and also came up with eight trigrams that formed the basis of the Book of Changes (I-ching).
■ The full name of the goddess - the daughter of the ruler of Mount Taishan - Dunyue Taishan tianxian yunyu bixia yuanjun ("Eastern peak of Mount Taishan heavenly fairy jade maiden lady of the azure dawn").
■ In the Zhou era of the Spring and Autumn period (771-453 BC), two warring kingdoms - Qi in the north and Lu in the south - could not divide the sacred mountain in any way, and the border was drawn directly through Taishan.
■ Inscriptions on slabs and rocks - quotes from ancient Chinese classics: "We honor your strength above the other three sacred mountains", "You wake up the stubborn and lost", "Here you have all kinds of people's happiness in your hands."
■ Trees that have been known since ancient times grow on Mount Taishan: the Han Dynasty cypress planted by Emperor Wu over 2,000 years ago, the tree of Tang scholars (over 1,300 years old), the “Welcoming Guests Pine” (500 years) and the “Fifth rank" (250 years).
■ In one of the halls of the Daimyao temple, a huge piece of Khotan jasper is kept, one edge of which is warmer and the other colder.
■ Temple of the Reclining Tiger - the seat of the sacred tiger from Mount Taishan, whose image is still in many Chinese homes today. It is believed that he drives away any evil from the human dwelling.
■ 75 km south of Mount Taishan is the city of Qufu, the birthplace of Confucius. There are three shrines associated with the name of the great thinker: Confucius Palace (Yanshengong Palace), Confucius Temple and Kunlin Cemetery, where Confucius himself and thousands of his descendants are buried. All these objects are included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.
■ In China, people who are somewhat different from others are called "He is like Mount Taishan and even more."
■ In China's long history, only five emperors have climbed Mount Taishan.

Mount Taishan has great cultural and historical significance and is one of the five sacred mountains of Taoism. Traditionally, the mountain was considered the home of Taoist saints and immortals. The mountain is located in the vicinity of the city of Tai'an. The highest peak at 1545m is called the Jade Emperor Peak. In China, Mount Taishan is associated with sunrise, birth, renewal. The temple on top of the mountain has been the goal of numerous pilgrims for 3000 years. Now you can climb the mountain by lift.

There are traces of human presence since the Paleolithic era. In these places, archaeologists have recorded settlements of the Neolithic period. At that time, two cultures developed in the vicinity of the mountain - first Beixin (4700-3400) and Dawenkou (3700-3100), then Longshan (2100-1600). During the Zhou era of the Spring and Autumn period (771-453), the mountain was the border of the kingdom of Qi in the north and the kingdom of Lu in the south. In the subsequent Warring States Period (453-221), the kingdom of Qi erected a 500 km long wall to protect against attacks, and the ruins of this wall remain to this day. The name of the city of Tai'an is given the meaning "as long as Mount Taishan stands, the whole country holds on" - both signs in the name of the city have different meanings of the word "peace, stability."

Mount Taishan has become entrenched in Chinese culture as a symbol of stability. This was reflected in the saying "steady as Mount Taishan", often used by Mao Zedong.

Taishan has been a place of worship since time immemorial, at least since the Shang period. At some time, the ceremony on Mount Taishan acquired official status; the mountain became the main place where the Emperor addressed Heaven and Earth (fengshan ceremony). During a feng ceremony held at the top of a mountain, the Emperor thanked Heaven for the mandate of power he had been given. During the shan ceremony, which took place at the foot, the Emperor thanked the Earth for the sent down harvest. In 219 BC e. Emperor Qin Shi Huang held a ceremony atop Mount Taishan and proclaimed the unification of the entire Empire. After him, many Chinese Emperors performed solemn ceremonies on the top of the mountain on the occasion of any especially important events.

The Han Emperor Wu Di repeatedly climbed Mount Taishan and organized regular sacrifices. For this he built palaces and towers on the mountain itself and at its foot.

Since 1987, Taishan Mountain has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2003, the mountain was visited by 6 million pilgrims and tourists. According to a new project, since 2005 religious buildings have been restored, and modern buildings that harm the landscape have been removed.

On the territory of the mountain there are 22 temples, 97 ruins, 819 stone plates, 1018 drawings and inscriptions on the rocks. On the mountain, 7200 steps were hollowed out and built up to the very top, there are 11 gates, 14 galleries, 14 stalls and 4 pavilions.

Mount Tai Deity Temple is the largest and oldest complex on the mountain, covering an area of ​​96,000 m2. The temple was built during the Qin Dynasty. From the time of the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), the temple began to repeat the architecture of the imperial palace and the Temple of Confucius in Qufu). The temple has five main halls and many additional rooms. In the center is the Heavenly Blessing Palace, built in 1008 during the Northern Song. The wall painting "Journey of the Deity of Mount Tai", dating back to 1009, has been preserved in the Palace. The painting covers the eastern, northern and western walls of the hall and is 3.3 meters high and 62 meters long. The plot of the image is the inspection of the Celestial deity of the mountain. The temple is surrounded by cypress trees planted during the Han Dynasty, about 2100 years ago.

Other important temples are the Blue Cloud Temple, dedicated to the Goddess of Mount Laom, and the Temple of the Sacred Rock, which has a Hall of a Thousand Buddhas.

Visitors can get to the mountain by bus, from the Middle Gate of Heaven stop on the lift you can climb to the very top. It takes two hours to hike to the top. There are stalls all along the road, you can also hire porters.

The ascent starts from the Taishan Arch. On the path of 7200 stone steps, the pilgrim first passes the tower of the Ten Thousand Immortals, goes along the ridge of the Arhats, and comes to the palace of the deity Doum. The full ascent from the very foot of the mountain from the city, however, takes seven hours.

To the northeast of Doumu Palace is the Sutra Rock Valley, where the Diamond Sutra is carved into the rock in 50 cm characters, presumably during the Northern Wei Dynasty. According to an ancient superstition, one can "gain Heaven" by throwing oneself down from the top of Mount Taishan. Therefore, there were regularly many suicidal pilgrims who sought to throw themselves down from the top of the mountain. Measures have now been taken to protect the territory at the top from the possibility of such an act.

Taishan(East Peak) - the main peak in the mountain range of the same name in eastern China, as part of the Shandong Mountains. The height of Mount Taishan is 1591 m. It is world-famous religious, cultural and natural and the most revered of the three sacred mountains of China. According to legend, it was created from the head of the demiurge Pangu, who created the whole world.

The area of ​​Mount Taishan is one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization. Archaeological cultures flourished on the northern and southern slopes of the mountain in the Neolithic era (the most famous of them is Longshan, the first half of the 2nd millennium BC). Later, rival states of Qi and Lu (770-476 BC) existed here. The remains of a 500-kilometer defensive wall built in the era of the state of Qi have survived to our time.

The veneration of Mount Taishan began in ancient times. The mountain was considered a deity, to which the surrounding population made sacrifices in order to ensure a good harvest and protect themselves from earthquakes and floods.

In the middle of the 1st millennium BC. Taoism was born in China - a religious and philosophical movement, which was based on the postulates of the eternal variability of the world, subject to the forces of nature, the harmonization of which is carried out through the interaction of male and female principles - Yang and Yin. The founder of Taoism, the sage Lao Tzu, considered following the laws of nature as the main norm of human behavior. This teaching was widespread in ancient China.

The summit of Taishan is considered sacred in Taoism. According to Taoists, the spirit of Mount Taishan - the Lord of the Eastern Peak - controls human destinies, and after death, the souls of people return to this mountain for the highest judgment, and the mountain itself is a kind of mediator between the world of the living and the world of the dead. The traditions of honoring Mount Taishan were adopted from the Taoists by Buddhists and Confucians. Taishan was a constant object of veneration in the official state religious cult, a place for the most important rituals, and also a source of inspiration for artists and poets. It is not surprising that for several millennia, the slopes of Mount Taishan have been covered with many large and small sanctuaries, among which are the oldest and most famous temples in China. In addition to them, today 97 archaeological sites, 819 stelae and 1018 rock paintings and drawings have been discovered on the mountain.


Mount Taishan is not really a single mountain, but a picturesque group of peaks. A wide zigzag road-stairway leads up, on the sides of which there are numerous temples. At the very foot of the mountain lies Taimyao - the temple of the Lord of the Eastern Peak, the supreme judge of the dead.

The temple, or rather a huge complex, including more than 600 shrines and other buildings, is planned on the model of the imperial Forbidden City in Beijing: huge courtyards lined with trees, slender arches, gates, many temple pavilions. Centennial cypress trees have been preserved here, some of them planted by the emperors of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The walls of the main shrine are covered with beautifully preserved paintings from the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The multi-figure compositions depict scenes of the emperor's pilgrimage, accompanied by his retinue, courtiers and troops, to worship Mount Taishan: departure from the capital, the procession and stay of the "Son of Heaven" on the top of the mountain. The temple has preserved many ancient inscriptions dedicated to Mount Taishan and the Lord of the Eastern Peak. Most of these are quotes from Chinese ancient classics: “We honor your strength above the other three [sacred mountains]”, “You wake up the stagnant and lost!”, “Here you have all kinds of people’s happiness in your hands.”

In one of the halls of the Taimiao temple, a huge piece of Khotan jasper is kept, one edge of which is warmer and the other colder. Jasper has always been valued in China above all other stones and served as the subject of mystical poeticization.

From the northern gate of the Taimiao Temple, a staircase leads to the top of the mountain.

The first significant temple on the slope of Taishan is the sanctuary of the god of money and abundance of money, Caishen, who is depicted accompanied by a whole retinue of smaller deities: Liu Hara, the fat god of coins; "A boy who calls money"; a spirit that helps in trading affairs, etc. According to ancient Chinese beliefs, praying means inviting, asking God to come to the rescue, and to make it more convenient for him, images of horses walking on the occasion are placed in the temple. These are "sinmar", horse-stars on which the gods descend to the worshipers.

The road leading from the foot of the mountain to its top, as the Chinese say, "rushes into the clouds." It is a march of huge granite stairs, now rising, then descending and interspersed with terraces, from which, as they rise, more and more picturesque views open up. On the rocks and boulders lying on the sides of the road, there are inscriptions glorifying Mount Taishan, many of which were made a thousand or more years ago: “Cloud mountains, a wonderful prospect”, “Little by little we enter the country of beauty”.

Half of the ascent is marked by the gates of Zhongtianmen - the Middle Heavenly Gate. From here, a majestic panorama of the Wenhe River valley opens up, stretching for many kilometers. From a bird's eye view, cities, villages, valleys, mountain ranges covered with forests are visible. “When you climb Taishan, the earth seems small,” Confucius said about this.


Passing one of the peaks of Mount Taishan - the peak of a Thousand Pines, travelers climb to the Temple of the Lying Tiger. This is the seat of the sacred tiger from Mount Taishan, whose image used to be found in every Chinese home. According to legend, this tiger drives away evil spirits from human dwellings.

The road to the top of the mountain is lined with dozens of temples. Most of them are small. The temples of Mount Taishan, as a rule, do not belong to any particular religion - adherents of all three major religions of China - Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism - perform their rituals in them. The predominant number of temples is dedicated to the cult of the goddess - the giver of children Sun-tzu Nyannyan, the deified wife of Prince Wen-wang, the founder of the Chou dynasty (12th century BC). According to legend, this married couple had one hundred children, and all of them were male, which made Sun Tzu Nyannyan a symbol of childbearing.

Not far from the top of Mount Taishan is the temple of the Taoist fairy Xiwangmu, Lady of the West. Siwangmu is the fairy of the distant Western Mountains. According to legend, the eternal peach blossoms in her gardens, bearing fruit every three thousand years, which gives the Lady of the West immortality. Her retinue consists of a host of fairies. This popular deity is frequently mentioned in Chinese classical literature. Some researchers consider the legendary Queen of Sheba to be the prototype of the goddess Sivanmu.

On the top of the sacred mountain there is an extensive ensemble of Bisyatsy - the temple of the goddess Azure Dawn, to which the Southern Heavenly Gate adjoins. Bisyatsi temple is dedicated to the cult of Bisya-yuan-jun - the giver and guardian of children, the daughter of the Supreme Lord of Mount Taishan. Opposite the Temple of the Azure Dawn, near a sheer cliff, stands the Grotto of White Clouds, which combines a bizarre combination of architecture with the natural ledges of the rock itself. On the opposite cliff, a huge inscription was carved to commemorate the visit of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty to Mount Taishan.

Here is also the temple of Yu-huangdi, according to the beliefs of the Taoists - the "heavenly emperor", "Jasper lord". The roots of this cult go back to the worship of Shang-di, the supreme deity of the ancient Chinese religion. Later Taoist legends say that Yu-huangdi was a prince who retired from power and hid in the mountains, where he learned the truth of the Great Way - Tao, and ascended to heaven. Yu-huangdi is surrounded by a magnificent retinue, which includes spirits that control the constellations, as well as deities of lightning, clouds, rain and hail. The god of the city holds in his hand a pumpkin in which the city is stored. The deity of thunder, which has a beak instead of a mouth, holds a drum in one hand, and raises a thunder hammer with the other. Yu-huangdi's retinue also includes 36 brave heroes of the classic Chinese novel "Backwaters", based on folk tales and written down in the 14th century.


For many years, there was a belief in China, according to which, throwing yourself into the abyss from the top of Mount Taishan, you can thereby save your parents from illness and death. Since boundless respect for elders underlies Chinese morality, this belief at one time caused a real epidemic of suicides - in order to save their parents, children threw themselves into the abyss from the rocks of Taishan. Only at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries, the authorities began to fight this custom.

The Taishan Mountain Ensemble is today included in. Some of the shrines of Taishan, in particular the Temple of Xiwangmu - the Lady of the West and the Temple of the Goddess of the Azure Dawn are still major religious centers.

There can be any number of reasons to personally visit the Chinese mountain Taishan. Taishan means as much to the Chinese as Olympus to the Greeks, and there are temples dedicated to this mountain and its spirits all over China. You can come to Taishan and climb, if only because here you will see the China that for centuries, even millennia, artists have depicted with ink on silk. Not multimillion-dollar, boiling and colorful, but peaceful, spiritual. When you, standing above the clouds, see mountains sinking in white flakes with trees and pagodas growing horizontally, you will understand why the Chinese love their homeland.

We are located in the city of Tai'an at the very foot of the main mountain in eastern China. It was this factor that allowed the modest city to acquire good infrastructure, including excellent, modern hotels. Seeing Mount Taishan is the dream of millions of people, and not only the Chinese.

For 3 thousand years, this mountain has been associated in China with sunrise and renewal. For 3 thousand years, billions of monks, peasants, warriors and emperors have managed to pray here. Meeting the dawn on Mount Taishan for many of them meant the ascension to the throne and the beginning of the reign.

It is not surprising that for thousands of years, Mount Taishan has acquired not only many natural, but also man-made wonders. Today, 22 temples, 97 ruins, more than 2,200 hewn stone slabs, 1,018 drawings and inscriptions on the rocks are known here. There is the world-famous "Bridge of the Immortals", the Eighteen Bend Staircase, the view of the Yellow River and many more reasons why Taishan Mountain was named an open-air museum complex and included in the UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage List. It's a sin not to visit if possible. And everyone who has reached the famous Chinese province of Shandong has the opportunity to get here. The provincial capital can be reached from Beijing by train in just 2 hours. Then another 70 kilometers by bus or train - and you are at the foot.

Breakfast is eaten, the camera is charged, and the way up begins with a serpentine, which we fly by bus. The road is mountainous, obstinate, but well-made, and any transport travels here confidently and quickly. The most patient, religious and poor tourists go up on foot from the very beginning.

Listing the names of all the temples and arches seen is meaningless. The main thing is that despite the huge crowds of people, a feeling of peace appears on the mountain, which is created not only by slopes and clouds, but also by Taoist monks, altars, sacred statues and endless temple buildings.

Most spectators watch from the open stands, but VIP ticket holders sit higher than everyone else in canopy-covered seats. The show has great service. For example, we did not sit in VIP, but still in more expensive places. At the very beginning, the staff gave us thick, very warm jackets. At the start of the performance, light rain began to fall from the sky, and then quite tangible rain, but the show team, accustomed to such a turn of events, solved the problem clearly and quickly. For some 5 minutes, everyone was given raincoats. The show went on.

The scale of what is happening is quite in the spirit of an ever-growing China. The screen shows excellently made videos, excellent historical music always plays in the theme. On the stairs and surrounding bridges, hills, paths in historical costumes move and fight, repel attacks and even confess their love to the inhabitants of different periods of Chinese history.


Photo: Roman Shadrin
Photo: Roman Shadrin All about tourism and travel. Complete information about travel agencies of Chita, last minute tours from Chita.
Photo: Roman Shadrin All about tourism and travel. Complete information about travel agencies of Chita, last minute tours from Chita.
Photo: Roman Shadrin All about tourism and travel. Complete information about travel agencies of Chita, last minute tours from Chita.
Photo: Roman Shadrin All about tourism and travel. Complete information about travel agencies of Chita, last minute tours from Chita.

Epochs and scenery are changing rapidly, and most importantly, everything that happens is understandable even to a child. For convenience, there is a large board next to the scene of action, on which explanations of what is happening are constantly written in Chinese and English.

The show lasts almost an hour and a half - from 21.00 to 22.20, but even in the rain the time flew by like an arrow. The history of China has become less vague and incomprehensible.

After the performance, we were convinced of the quality of the costumes and make-up on the artists, who had just run up and down the stairs dozens of times.


Photo: Roman Shadrin All about tourism and travel. Complete information about travel agencies of Chita, last minute tours from Chita.
Photo: Roman Shadrin All about tourism and travel. Complete information about travel agencies of Chita, last minute tours from Chita.

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