Mount Tai

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Mount Tai
Tai Shan Nan Tian Men .jpg
The South Gate to Heaven at Mount Tai
Highest point
Elevation 1,532.7 m (5,029 ft)
Prominence 1,505 m (4,938 ft) [1]
Listing Ultra
Coordinates 36°15′21″N117°06′27″E / 36.25583°N 117.10750°E / 36.25583; 117.10750 [1]
Geography
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Mount Tai
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Mount Tai
Mount Tai (Northern China)
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Mount Tai
Mount Tai (China)
Geology
Rock age Cambrian
Mountain type(s) metamorphic, sedimentary
Climbing
Easiest route Cable Car
Criteria Cultural: i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi; Natural: vii
Reference 437
Inscription1987 (11th Session)
Area25,000 ha

The Dongyue Emperor (Chinese :東嶽大帝; pinyin :Dōngyuè Dàdì) is the supreme god of Mount Tai. According to one mythological tradition, he is a descendant of Pangu. According to other theologies, he is the eastern one of the Five Manifestations of the Highest Deity (Wufang Shangdi).

Bixia Yuanjun

Bixia Yuanjun (Chinese : 碧 霞 元 君 ; pinyin :Bìxiá Yuánjūn), literally the "Goddess of the Blue Dawn", also known as the "Heavenly Immortal Lady of Jade" (Chinese : 天 仙 玉 女 ; pinyin :Tiānxian Yùnǚ) or the "Lady of Mount Tai" (Chinese : 泰 山 娘 娘 ; pinyin :Tàishān Niangniang). According to some mythological accounts, she is the daughter or the consort of the Great Deity of Mount Tai. Statues of Bixia Yuanjun often depict her holding a tablet with the Big Dipper as a symbol of her authority.

Yanguang Niangniang

Yanguang Niangniang (Chinese : 眼 光 奶 奶 ; pinyin :Yǎnguāng Nǎinǎi) is venerated as goddess of eyesight and often portrayed as an attendant to Bixia Yuanjun.

Songzi Niangniang

Songzi Niangniang (Chinese : 送 子 娘 娘 ; pinyin :Sòngzi Niangniang) is seen as a goddess of fertility, like Yanguang Nainai, she is often portrayed as an attendant to Bixia Yuanjun.

Shi Gandang

Shi Gandang (Chinese : 石 敢 当 ; pinyin :Shígǎndāng) is a spirit sent down from Mount Tai by Bixia Yuanjun to protect ordinary people from evil spirits. As part of cultural tradition, there will also often be Taishan Shi Gandang stones set up near buildings and other places, in order to protect those place from evil spirits. These are not to be confused with spirit tablets.

Dai Miao

Dai Temple at Mount Tai Mount tai dai temple 2006 09.jpg
Dai Temple at Mount Tai

The Temple of the God of Mount Tai, known as the Dai Temple (Chinese : 岱 庙 ; pinyin :Dàimiào), is the largest and most complete ancient building complex in the area. It is located at the foot of Mount Tai in the city of Tai'an and covers an area of 96,000 square meters. The temple was first built during the Qin dynasty. Since the time of the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), its design has been a replica of the imperial palace, which makes it one out of three extant structures in China with the features of an imperial palace (the other two are the Forbidden City and the Confucius Temple in Qufu). The temple has five major halls and many small buildings. The centerpiece is the Palace of Heavenly Blessings (Tian Kuang), built in 1008, during the reign of the last Northern Song emperor, Huizong. The hall houses the mural painting "The God of Mount Tai Making a Journey", dated to the year 1009. The mural extends around the eastern, western and northern walls of the hall and is 3.3 meters (11 ft) high and 62 meters (203 ft) long. The theme of the painting is an inspection tour by the god. Next to the Palace of Heavenly Blessings stand the Yaocan Pavilion and the entrance archway as well as the Bronze Pavilion in the northeast corner. The Dai Temple is surrounded by 2,100‑year‑old cypresses that date back to the Han dynasty. The oldest surviving stair may be the 6,000 granite steps to the top of the mountain.

The site contains a number of well-preserved steles from the Huizong reign, some of which are mounted on bixi tortoises. There is a much later, Qianlong era bixi-mounted stele as well. [24]

Dongyue Temple at Mount Tai Mount tai dong yu temple 2006 09.jpg
Dongyue Temple at Mount Tai
Zengfu Temple at Mount Tai Mount tai zeng fu temple 2006 09.jpg
Zengfu Temple at Mount Tai

Shrine of the Blue Dawn

The Shrine of the Blue Dawn (Chinese : 碧 霞 祠 ; pinyin :Bìxiá Cí), near the top of the mountain is another grand building complex, a special combination of metal components, wood, and bricks and stone structures. It is dedicated to the goddess Bixia (Blue Dawn). From the Taishan Temple to the Blue Dawn Temple there are numerous stone tablets and inscriptions and ancient buildings on the way. Visitors derive much pleasure from climbing Mount Taishan. From the red gate at the foot of the mountain to the South Heaven Gate at the top are some 6,660 stone steps, which wind their way up the mountain slopes, each step offering a different view.

Shibapan

The "Shibapan" (十八盘) means 18 levels stairs, which is the most advantageous part of stairs in Mount Tai. A total of 1,827 stone steps, is one of the main signs Mount Tai. People always say: "Mount Tai of the majestic, all in Shibapan, Mount Tai of the sublime, all in the climb in!" Shibapan has three parts, the "Slow Eighteens"(慢十八), the "Hard Eighteens"(紧十八), and the "No slow no hard Eighteens" (不紧不慢又十八). The "Slow Eighteens" means this period is easier to climb, and the "Hard Eighteens" means it is harder to climb, which is interesting.

Other monuments

Rock inscriptions at Mount Tai Mount tai rock inscriptions.jpg
Rock inscriptions at Mount Tai
Page 26 of Chinese passport under blacklight, showing Wu Yue Du Zun PRC E-Passport Page 26 under black light.jpg
Page 26 of Chinese passport under blacklight, showing 五 嶽 獨 尊

A flight of 7,200 total steps (including inner temple steps), with 6,293 Official Mountain Walkway Steps, lead up the East Peak of Mount Tai, along its course, there are 11 gates, 14 archways, 14 kiosks, and four pavilions.

In total, there are 22 temples, 97 ruins, 819 stone tablets, and 1,018 cliff-side and stone inscriptions located on Mount Tai. These include a Temple of the Jade King (Chinese : 玉 皇 庙 ; pinyin :Yùhuáng Miào), a Temple of the Blue Deity (Chinese : 青 帝 宫 ; pinyin :Qīngdì Gōng), a Temple of Confucius (Chinese : 孔 子 庙 ; pinyin :Kǒngzi Miào), a Temple of Doumu (Chinese : 斗 母 宫 ; pinyin :Dòumǔ Gōng) and the Puzhao Buddhist Temple (Chinese : 普 照 寺 ; pinyin :Pǔzhào Sì).

Among the tablets and inscriptions on the top of Mount Tai, the inscription that declares Mount Tai the "Most Revered of the Five Sacred Mountains" (simplified Chinese : 五 岳 独 尊 ; traditional Chinese : 五 嶽 獨 尊 ; pinyin :Wǔyuè Dúzūn) on the "Sun Viewing Peak" (Chinese : 日 观 峰 ; pinyin :Rìguān Fēng) is of particular renown. It was written by a member of the Aisin Gioro clan (Chinese : 爱 新 觉 罗 玉 构 ; pinyin :Àixīn Juéluō Yùgòu) in 1907 and is featured on the reverse side of the five yuan bill of the 5th series renminbi banknotes and page 26 of PRC biometric passport. Another inscription marks the "Lu-Viewing Platform" (Chinese : 瞻 鲁 台 ; pinyin :Zhānlǔ tái) from which Confucius took in the view over his home state of Lu and then pronounced "The world is small".

The Wordless Stele (Chinese : 无 字 碑 ; pinyin :Wúzì Bēi) stands in front of the Jade Emperor Temple. [23] : 142–143  Legend has it that the emperor who commissioned the stele was dissatisfied with the inscription suggested by his scribes and decided to leave it blank instead to leave its meaning to be imagined by the viewer. [23] : 143  Another theory is that weather eroded the original calligraphic inscription. [23] : 143 

Other significant places

Infrastructure

Visitors can reach the peak of Mount Tai via a bus which terminates at the Midway Gate to Heaven, from there a cable car connects to the summit. Covering the same distance on foot takes from two and a half to six hours. The supplies for the many vendors along the road to the summit are carried up by porters either from the Midway Gate to Heaven or all the way up from the foot of the mountain.

To climb up the mountain, one can take one of two routes. The more popular east route starts from Taishan Arch. On the way up the 7,200 stone steps, the climber first passes the Ten Thousand Immortals Tower (Wanxianlou), Arhat Cliff (Luohanya), and Palace to Goddess Dou Mu (Doumugong). The climbing from the First Gate to Heaven (yi1 tian1 men2), the main entrance bordering on Tai'an town, up the entire mountain can take two and a half hours for the sprinting hiker to six hours for the leisure pace. Reaching the Midway Gate to Heaven from First Gate to Heaven is one hour at a sprint up to two and a half hours leisurely. To the northeast of the Palace to Goddess Dou Mu is Sutra Rock Valley in which the Buddhist Diamond Sutra was cut in characters measuring fifty centimeters across believed to be inscribed in the Northern Wei dynasty. The west route, taken by fewer tourists, is more scenic, but has less cultural heritage.

Cultural references

Climbing Mount Tai Mount Tai - Looking down.jpg
Climbing Mount Tai

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Central and Eastern China, Taiwan and Korea" Archived 2012-08-09 at the Wayback Machine Peaklist.org.Listed as "Tai Shan". Prominence based on an elevation of 1,545 m and a col of 40 m. Retrieved 2011-11-19.
  2. ↑ Yuan Xingzhong; Hong, Liu (2000). "Studies on the diversity of soil animals in Taishan Mountain". Journal of Forestry Research. 11 (2): 109–113. doi:10.1007/BF02856685. S2CID   24791914. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
  3. ↑ "Mount Tai". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2 February 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  4. 1 2 晁洪太; 王志才; 李家灵; 崔昭文 (1999). "山东泰安地区断层的最新活动与"泰山震"". 地震地质. 21 (2): P105-114. Archived from the original on 2020-04-08. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  5. 1 2 刁颋 (2010). "夏帝发七年"泰山震"的解读". 国际地震动态. 32 (376): P36-44. Archived from the original on 2020-05-28. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  6. ↑ 高继宗 (2008). "夏发七年"泰山地震"考". 国际地震动态. 30 (359): P135. Archived from the original on 2020-05-28. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  7. ↑ 雷册渊 (2017-08-23). "中国最早的地震记录 距今4000多年" (in Simplified Chinese). 人民网. Event occurs at 17:24. Archived from the original on 2018-06-26. Retrieved 2018-06-12.
  8. ↑ "历史钩沉：泰山地震——历史上最早记载的地震" (in Simplified Chinese). 泰安大众网. 2015-05-23. Event occurs at 14:28. Archived from the original on 2018-06-26. Retrieved 2018-06-12.
  9. ↑ Yang, Changqing; Han, Baofu; Yang, Chuansheng; Yang, Yanqiu; Sun, Jin; Yu, Fusheng (2020). "Mesozoic basin evolution of the East China Sea Shelf and tectonic system transition in Southeast China". Geological Journal. 55 (1): 239–252. doi: 10.1002/gj.3409 . ISSN   1099-1034.
  10. 1 2 "泰安市人民政府 地质公园知识 泰山的年龄". www.taian.gov.cn. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  11. 1 2 3 "世界自然与文化遗产——泰山". www.gov.cn. Archived from the original on 2021-05-04. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  12. ↑ "Introduction to Qingzhou (青州城市概況)" (in Chinese). Qingzhou Government Website. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  13. 1 2 Lewis, Mark Edward (18 March 1999). Writing and Authority in Early China. ISBN   9780791441145 . Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  14. ↑ Slingerland, Edward G. (Trans. & Ed.). Confucius Analects: With Selections from Traditional Commentaries Archived 2023-04-05 at the Wayback Machine . Indianapolis, IN: Hackett. 2003. ISBN   978-087220-635-9. Retrieved November 17, 2012. p.19.
  15. ↑ John Lagerwey; Pengzhi Lü (30 October 2009). Early Chinese Religion: The Period of Division (220-589 Ad). BRILL. pp. 84–. ISBN   978-90-04-17585-3.
  16. ↑ "泰山："五岳之首"承载华夏至尊". www.gov.cn. Archived from the original on 2024-05-24. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  17. ↑ Skaff 2012 Archived 2023-01-12 at the Wayback Machine , pp. 146-7.
  18. ↑ "Mount Tai". Encyclopedia Britannica. 2017-12-04. Archived from the original on 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  19. ↑ "tai mountain". Archived from the original on 2013-01-21. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
  20. ↑ 中国地面气候标准值月值(1981-2010) (in Chinese (China)). China Meteorological Data Service Center. Archived from the original on September 5, 2018. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  21. ↑ 中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Archived from the original on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  22. ↑ 中国气象数据网 (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Chatwin, Jonathan (2024). The Southern Tour: Deng Xiaoping and the Fight for China's Future. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN   9781350435711.
  24. ↑ "岱庙-------碑碣、唐槐、汉柏_迎春花_新浪博客". blog.sina.com.cn. Archived from the original on 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
  25. ↑ The Golden Lotus, Volume 4. Singapore: Graham Brash (PTE) Ltd. 1979. p. 149.
  26. ↑ 松本盛雄 (2006). 中国万花筒. ISBN   9787508509976 . Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  27. ↑ "SERVE THE PEOPLE". marxists.org. Archived from the original on 30 December 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  28. ↑ "Du Fu – View of Taishan". October 28, 2019. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  29. ↑ "IAU Names Landing Site of Chinese Chang'e-4 Probe on Far Side of the Moon". International Astronomical Union. 15 February 2019. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  30. ↑ "Rage Against The Machine Year Of Tha Boomerang lyrics" Archived 2012-10-31 at the Wayback Machine
Mount Tai
Tai shan (Chinese characters).svg
"Mount Tai" in Chinese characters
East
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South Central
Southwestern
North
Northeast
Northwestern
Multiple regions
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