Mount Tai, also known as Tai Shan, is one of the Five Great Mountains of China. Located close to the small town of Qùfū in Shandong Province, birthplace of the great philosopher Confucius, the mountain became the first Chinese UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage site in 1987.
One can hardly understate the importance Mount Tai has played in ancient Chinese myths that describe the beginning of the world. One Chinese legend states that Mount Tai is the head of the god Pangu who created heaven and earth, while another claims it is the dwelling place of the goddess Bixia.
Mount Tai is the most climbed mountain in the world and, during the dynasties, emperors had to climb to its summit and offer a sacrifice to both heaven and earth. Only five emperors ever reached the top and, after visiting, one can easily sympathise with the failing emperors.
Test your stamina and fitness
Mount Tai stands at over 1,530m and you can climb 6,660 carved steps of differing sizes and heights to reach the summit. An unaccustomed climber can feel the effort in their legs quite quickly, but the worst part is the little old ladies running effortlessly past you to make a sacrifice for the goddess Bixia.
However, the climb up the mountain is not only endless steps. One can stop for a rest in idyllic tea houses or admire the numerous temples, heavy with incense smoke. For the quitters, there is a cable car that runs from half-way up to the top.
It is said that if one climbs Mount Tai, one can live to be a 100 years-old. Obviously, this decreases people's willingness to take the otherwise so-convenient cable car. Climbing up with one's own feet takes about 3-4 hours, depending, of course, on your stamina and fitness.
The world is dwarfed
Reaching the top and seeing the amazing view open up in all directions is definitely worth the sweat and aching legs... or even the cable car ticket price.
The top of Mount Tai is quite wide, and there are actually several small plateaus upon which several beautiful temples have been built. The sight of the temples creates an ethereal and serene atmosphere, which is further fostered by the picturesque view of mountain tops and valleys covered in mist.
This is the view that inspired Confucius to proclaim, “When you reach the top of Taishan Mountain, the world is dwarfed” and Mao Zedong to announce that “The East is red”.
Many people want to witness the sunrise from the summit of Mount Tai and there are some fairly expensive hotels for visitors to stay overnight. Otherwise it is better to stay overnight in a little town called Tài'ān at the base of the mountain.
Birthplace of a great man
From Tài'ān one can take a bus to another small town called Qùfū. Despite its size, it has bred perhaps the greatest man in Chinese history, philosopher Confucius (551-479 BCE), who has had an undeniable influence on Chinese culture over the centuries.
Qùfū is almost completely concentrated around the temple of Confucius and the old dwelling place of the Kong family, which together make up one-fifth of the city centre.
The temple complex (Kǒng Miào) and the mansion (Kǒng Fǔ) sit beside each other and both have traditional red buildings, as well as serene, shadowy courtyards. Each of the dynasties wanted to honour the memory of Confucius, so they have all built their own addition to the complexes.
However, the buildings are mainly from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, but there are still many older structures such as the Apricot Pavilion where Confucius is said to have taught his disciples.
Among sleeping giants
About half-an-hour walk north from the temple and the mansion is the Confucian Forest (Kǒng Lín), which is actually a cemetery. Confucius is buried in this 200 hectare area, as well as his descendants who have continued the Kong family line for over 2,000 years.
The Forest is said to have at least 100,000 trees, each of which has been planted by disciples of Confucius. Stone panthers and other guardian figures watch over the master's grave, but the tomb itself is quite unpretentious – tombs of the philosopher's sons are nearby.
Other graves, tombs and little temples are scattered across the site, sitting in the shadows of the cypress and pine trees. The peaceful forest gently soothes the nerves of a busy traveller and visitors often feel that one is walking alone among the sleeping giants.
Qùfū is one of China's “24 culture cities” and the temple, mansion and the cemetery were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1994.
Originally published on March 25, 2011