UNESCO World Heritage SiteNational 5A Scenic AreaEast China
Mount Tai (Taishan)
泰山 · Shandong, Tai'an
The foremost of China's Five Sacred Mountains, climbed by emperors and pilgrims for millennia.
Mount Tai is the most revered of China's Five Great Mountains, a rugged peak of ancient pines, stone staircases and temples rising above the North China Plain. Its 6,660-step path passes gates, steles and shrines to the summit, where crowds gather overnight to watch a famous sunrise over a sea of clouds.
For over 3,000 years Mount Tai was the site of imperial feng and shan sacrifices; Qin Shi Huang, China's first emperor, climbed it in 219 BC. Dozens of emperors and countless poets made the pilgrimage. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987 as both a cultural and natural site.
Day-by-day routes you won't find online — now starting with an 8-day, 1,500 km loop through western Sichuan. New regions are added regularly; tell us where you want to drive next.
