Mount Taishan - tips by travel authority Howard Hillman

Mount Taishan
travel wonder in China

Why
MountTaishan
is special

Mount Taishan is the most sacred of China's five famous holy mountains.

It's also renowned for its scenic beauty and 5,000 steps leading to the Taishan summit.

Mount Taishan
tips & insights

Emperors

Over the course of two thousand years, emperors came to worship on Mount Taishan. Some built pavilions, the most heralded being Five Pines, which dates back to the Qin Dynasty (221 to 206 BC).

Two best known Taoist sites

Dai Temple at the base of Mount Taishan and Azure Cloud Temple at its peak (see photo) are Mount Taishan's two best known Taoist sites.

Climbing Mount Taishan

Despite the steep, lengthy stairs, many pilgrims and tourists make the climb. It takes the average visitor 4 hours up, 2 hours down to conquer the 5,000 steps.

If 5,000 steps are beyond your physical endurance, you can take a cable car. It cuts the number of stairs you have to climb in half.

Views

On clear mornings
it's best to be on the summit to catch Mount Taishan's famous sunrise vista (summit guest houses are available for sleep overs).

On foggy mornings
it's best to be at the foot of the mountain to see the misty clouds serenely dance around the mountain slopes.

Artists

Leading Chinese artists over the centuries have painted the cloud shrouded Mount Taishan.

Name

"Taishan" means "Mount Tai" (the Chinese word "'shan" means "mountain"). For clarity's sake, the redundant "Mount" is added for the English translation ("Mount Taishan").

Some travelers confuse this Taishan for the large city in Canton (Guanzhou) province that also bears the name "Taishan".

Location