Tai'an

Mount Tai stretches north of Tai'an. Its main peak, the Jade Emperor Summit, stands at 1,532.7 metres, the figure published by the national surveying authority in 2007, while the summit stone still bears the older number 1,545 metres. The classic Red Gate route starts at the Daizong Arch and passes the Red Gate Palace, the Tower of Myriad Immortals, the Doumu Palace and the Mid-Heaven Gate before climbing the Eighteen Bends, about 9.5 kilometres in all with more than 7,000 stone steps, following the very axis of the imperial fengshan road. Mount Tai was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1987 as one of China's first mixed cultural and natural World Heritage sites. At its foot, the Dai Temple was the starting point and lodging place for the fengshan sacrifices, and more than 2,000 steles and cliff inscriptions from successive dynasties survive on the mountain. The summit is celebrated for sunrise, sunset glow and the 'jade plate' of cloud sea, and in summer and autumn, when the weather is half clear and half misty, the 'Mount Tai Buddha's halo' occasionally appears. Highlights include Sunrise Viewing Peak. Tip: climb at night to watch the sunrise, and bring warm clothing. Practical info: the site is on Hongmen Road, Taishan District, Tai'an, Shandong; ticket ¥115 (peak season); open all day.

Tip: Climb at night to watch the sunrise, and bring warm clothing.

• Address: Hongmen Road, Taishan District, Tai'an, Shandong
• Ticket: ¥115 (peak season)
• Opening: All day

The Dai Temple reaches back to the Qin and Han: a Western Han text already notes that 'the Qin had laid out the sacrificial fields, and the Han too raised halls', and later dynasties destroyed and rebuilt it time and again. Its surviving layout runs along a north–south axis with eastern, central and western branches behind a wall circuit of about three li pierced by eight gates — 96,000 square metres of ground and 186 halls and chambers where emperors lodged and officiated before climbing the mountain. The Tiankuang Hall, the main structure, was built in 1009, the second year of the Song reign era Daxiangfu, and named for the 'talisman sent down by heaven' staged by Emperor Zhenzong. Nine bays wide under a double-eaved hip roof, it carries a Song mural showing the deity of Mount Tai setting out and returning, more than 3 metres high and 62 metres long. In the Han Cypress Courtyard, five ancient cypresses are said to date from the Han, the temple keeps 184 steles and 48 Han pictorial stones, and the ten surviving characters of the Qin stone credited to the minister Li Si were moved down from the summit during the Qing. Listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit in 1988, the compound now serves as the Tai'an Municipal Museum. Highlights include the Tang locust tree and the forest of steles. Tip: a combined ticket with Mount Tai is available; visit the Dai Temple before climbing the mountain. Practical info: the temple is at 191 Dongyue Street, Taishan District, Tai'an, Shandong; ticket ¥20 (peak season); opening hours 07:30–17:30.

Tip: A combined ticket with Mount Tai is available; visit the Dai Temple before climbing the mountain.

• Address: 191 Dongyue Street, Taishan District, Tai'an, Shandong
• Ticket: ¥20 (peak season)
• Opening: 07:30–17:30

Caishixi lies in the Taohuayu scenic area of Mount Tai and is part of the Mount Tai Global Geopark. Metamorphic rocks of the Archean Taishan group are exposed along the valley, eroded by water into coloured banded streambeds, which gives the stream its name. Black Dragon Pool, Caishixi and Taohuayu are the stops along the way; spring flowers and autumn woods are the best seasons, and the walk is easier than the main summit route. A valley route in Mount Tai's Taohuayu area, its streambed is banded red, yellow and green by 2.5-billion-year-old metamorphic rock. Spring blossoms and autumn water both photograph well, and it is quieter than the Red Gate–Mid-Heaven Gate route, good for those who want an easy valley walk away from the crowds. Highlights include the coloured streambed and the Mount Tai geological section. Tip: water flow is best in spring; enter from the Taohuayu visitor centre, the round trip on foot takes about 3–4 hours, and wear non-slip shoes. Practical info: the site is at Taohuayu, Daiyue District, Tai'an; the ticket is included in the Mount Tai ticket (Taohuayu cable car and shuttle extra, subject to official notice); opening hours 07:00–17:00.

Tip: Water flow is best in spring; enter from the Taohuayu visitor centre, the round trip on foot takes about 3–4 h…

• Address: Taohuayu, Daiyue District, Tai'an
• Ticket: Included in the Mount Tai ticket (Taohuayu cable car and shuttle extra; subject to official notice)
• Opening: 07:00–17:00