1.Mount Tai Scenic Area
Mount Tai is a mountain of unparalleled historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai’an, in Shandong province. Rising abruptly from the vast plain of central Shandong, the mountain’s peak, Jade Emperor (also called the Peak of Shandong) reaches 5,069 feet. As one of the “Five Great Mountains” (the
Five Great Mountains being Mount Tai, Mount Hua, Mount Heng, Mount Heng, and Mount Song), Mount Tai is associated with sunrise, birth, and renewal, and is often regarded as the foremost of the five peaks. Majestic Mount Tai has been a holy place of worship for over 3,000 years and serves as one of the most important ceremonial locations of China. According to historical records, Mount Tai earned its reputation as a sacred place during the Zhou Dynasty prior to 1000 BC when it was visited by emperors who came to offer sacrifices and meditate. Across the centuries, a total of 72 emperors have made the pilgrimage to Mount Tai.
Geologically, it is a tilted fault-block mountain, higher to the south than north, and is the oldest and most important example of the paleo-metamorphic system representative of the Cambrian Period in eastern China. Besides the Jade Emperor Peak, other distinctive rock formations are the Heaven Candle Peak, the Fan Cliff, and the Rear Rock Basin. Over 200 species of animals and 122 species of birds inhabit this great mountain landscape. The large-scaled fish, Varicorhinus Macrolepis, is found in the cool running water. Considered a delicacy in the Qing Dynasty(1644-1912), it is one of the five most famous edible fishes in
China.
Mount Tai was listed in the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1987.
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2.Three Confucius Sites
Confucius is world renowned as an educator, philosopher and politician, and was the founder of Confucius Theory which has had a profound impact on East Asian culture. His hometown, Qufu, is the holy grail of pilgrimage destinations for those who wish to study his teachings. There are three essential historical sites that relate to his life – the Temple of Confucius, the Cemetery of Confucius, and the Kong Family Mansion. Together, these three locations have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994.
Temple of Confucius: This building was the first temple built to worship Confucius and Confucianism. Since its construction, numerous other temples have been built to honor Confucius across China and around the world. This group of buildings is the only venue to attain the lofty “emperor’s building” distinction, having been constructed to honor a personage other than an emperor. The Temple of Confucius is structurally reminiscent of the Forbidden City in Beijing and provides the blueprint for the International Confucius Temple.
Cemetery of Confucius: This site is the final resting place of Confucius, his descendants, and innumerable disciples. After he passed away, his students filled the area with towering trees to honor him, giving the cemetery the appearance of a garden or a small forest. This site also contains thousands of tombstones inscribed with traditional Chinese calligraphy.
Kong Family Mansion: This mansion is an enormous building where descendants of Confucius lived for hundreds of years. As the so-called “first family of China”, the Kong family was in control of the largest private rural estate in China. They were known as the m
ost prestigious family outside of the royalty in China. The family would also conduct elaborate religious ceremonies at the mansion to commemorate and bless plantings, harvests, birthdays and the dead.
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