Mount Taishan

Towering in the middle of Shandong Province, Mount Taishan is one of China's most famous scenic spots and regarded as the first of the five sacred mountains in ancient China for its majesty and beauty. It covers a total area of 426 square kilometers, and its summit, the Jade Emperor Peak, rises 1,545 meters above sea level. Many emperors ascended Mount Taishan throughout China's history to hold memorial ceremonies as an expression of their gratefulness to heaven on their success in establishing a new dynasty. For many centuries, Buddhism and Taoism flourished on the mountain, therefore many temples and nunneries were built. Historical sites and numerous stone-carved inscriptions can be found all over the area nowadays, such as, Wangmu Pool (the Heavenly Queen Pool), Hongmen Palace (the Red Gate Palace), Nantian Gate (the South Gate to Heaven) and Bixia Temple (Azure Cloud Temple).

It was in December1987 that Mount Taishan was listed in the Chronology of Recognition of World Heritages in China.