【Oct 26-27】Mount Tai&Home of Confucius-Cultural heritage

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Take the weekends off. Let's go visit two magnificent UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Mount Tai and Qufu Confucian Sites. 

In-depth exploration of the life story, philosophy, family of Confucius in the three most influential Confucian sites in Qufu - the Temple of Confucius, the Cemetery of Confucius, and the Kong Family Mansion;

Take a scenic hike to Mount Tai which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of both culture and nature; 

Don’t miss out the chance to hike on a legendary “imperial route”.  And this is a mandatory stop for anyone keen to see how revered the social philosopher remains.

You can focus 100% on enjoying the fun of cultural exploration and natural feast.

ITINERARY

Arrival in Tai'an

Mount Tai

Qufu & Bullet Train Back to Beijing

BASIC CONTENT

-How to become VIP of FCN-

1.Round-trip high-speed trains (second class)

2.FCN Private English&Chinese-speaking guide

3.History explained by a professional English-speaking guide

4.2 nights hotel as listed in the itinerary (4-star standard),two people sharing one room

Single supplement is CNY500 if needed

5.Local transportation as detailed on your itinerary

6.All meals as listed:

- Day1:Hotel Breakfast、Dinner

- Day2:Hotel Breakfast

7.Accident insurance

👆Transportation in Mt.Tai scenic area:

* This price is for reference only, the specific ticket price is subject to the actual on-site

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The leader of the 'Five Sacred Mountains', Taishan Mountain is located in the center of Shandong Province, lying across the cities of Tai'an, Jinan and Zibo. Its main peak, Jade Emperor Summit, which is within Tai'an City, is about 1532.7 meters (5,029 feet) high.

The mountain was once called Mt. Daishan, Mt. Daizong or Mt. Taiyue and was renamed Mt. Taishan in the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC). It epitomizes splendid Chinese culture and was listed in the World Natural and Cultural Heritage List of UNESCO in 1987.

In ancient times, the first thing for an emperor to do on ascending to the throne was to climb Taishan and pray to heaven and earth or their ancestors. It was said that 72 emperors of different dynasties made pilgrimages here. These special ceremonies and sacrifices earned the mountain widespread fame. In addition, many poets and literary scholars also visited the mountain to gain inspiration. The grandiose temples, the numerous stone inscriptions and stone tablets are the best testaments to these visits. Mount Tai also played an important role in the development of Buddhism and Taoism.

Taishan Mountain is a natural The stone carvings on Mount Taishanmuseum abounding with cultural relics and artworks. Heavenly Queen Pool, Red Gate Palace, Mid-Heaven Gate, Azure Cloud Temple are powerful examples. Stone carvings include the Buddhist Diamond Sutra in Jing Shi Valley, the Scripture of Taishan Mountain and the Mo Ya Tablet.

Besides historic relics, this mountain boasts unique natural scenery too. The lofty peaks, deep valleys, spectacular waterfalls, enchanting rocks and the centuries-old pines and cypresses will undoubtedly encourage you linger with no thought of leaving. The four wonders here are Sunrises from the East, the Sunset Glow, the Sea of Clouds and the Golden Belt along the Yellow River. It would be a great pity to miss the four wonders.

Top 12 Mount Tai Attractions - Things to Do in Mount Tai

Listed into world natural & cultural heritage site in 1987, Mount Tai (Taishan) is the Foremost of Five Sacred Mountains, while actually it’s not the highest one within altitude of only 1545 meters. The reason why people named it as "First Mountain under Heaven" is because of traditional religion dating back to ancient emperors, like Qinshihuang-the first emperor in China, Qian Long emperor in Qing dynasty, etc. It was regard as the symbol of power.

Nowadays, things to do in Taishan can be vary and different. Visitors climb Mount Taishan would rather to appreciate stunning views of sunrise, clouds and witness ancient scenic spots, like South Heavenly Gate, the Heavenly Street and Jade Emperor Peak, and more Taishan Attractions awaiting you for visit.

No.1 Jade Emperor Peak (YuhuangDing) 玉皇顶

Location: The highest peak of Mount Tai Scenic Area

Having the altitude of 1545 meters, Jade Emperor Peak is the summit of Mount Tai, with a reputation of “the first Peak”. It named after the Jade Emperor Temple here, where was the altar for emperors to worship heaven. Besides the temple, there is a big stone engraved "The Summit of Mount Tai, 1545 meters", which is the landmark of Mt. Taishan. With such a high level it’s the great location to appreciate sunrise and clouds.

No.2 Wuyue Duzun Inscription 五岳独尊 - Landmark Site

Location: Top area of Mount Tai

Located in the southeast of the Jade Emperor Temple at the extreme top of Mount Tai, with an altitude of 1545 meters, the landmark of Mount Tai, the stone with the red inscriptions “五岳独尊”(Pinyin: Wuyue Duzun) is printed as the banknote on China CNY 5 cash, which means“the greatest of five sacred mountains in China”.

The four characters "Wuyue duzun" are in regular script style. They are inscribed on jade in the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (AD 1907). Each character is about 42 cm to 55cm in diameter. On the left side of the four characters, there is a regular script inscription "昂头天外- head up in the sky". It has always been regarded as a sign of praise to show the lofty status of Mount Tai.

No.3 Daimiao Temple (Dai Miao) 岱庙 - Museum of Tai'an

Location: South foot of Mount Tai Scenic Area

With 1.2 km away in the south of Red Gate, Dai Temple is the must-see as the largest and best-preserved ancient building complex of Mount Tai. Founded in Han Dynasty and had a larger scale of construction in Tang Dynasty, Dai Temple now contains ancient buildings of over 150, all with the imperial architectural styles.

As a Taoist temple, Dai Temple was a place where the emperors make sacrifice and worship the God of the Mt. Taishan and pray for peace and prosperity. It’s also considered as one of the Four Ancient Chinese Buildings, along with Forbidden City in Beijing, San Kong (Confucius Temple, Confucius Family’s Mansion and Confucius Cemetery) in Qufu and Chengde Summer Palace in Hebei province.

No.4 Bixia Temple 碧霞祠 - Grandest Taoist Temple

Location: Top area of Mount Tai

Bixia temple 碧霞祠 is located in the top area, which is a Taoist temple for worshiping Bixia Yuanjun, goddess of Mount Tai. It was first built in the second year of Xiangfu in Song Dynasty (1009 A.D.). The whole group of buildings is the grandest building complex of Mt Tai. It is towering, neat, and magnificent. Because it is on the top of the mountain, seen afar, it looks like a Palace in the sky. It is one of the key open temples of Taoism in China. The most distinctive feature of the Bixia temple is the main building Bixia Yuanjun hall. Inside the hall are gilded bronze statues of Bixia Yuanjun. There are giant plaques of "Fushui Haiyu" and "Zanhua Donghuang" written by Emperor Yongzheng and Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty respectively.

No.5 Nantianmen (South Gate to Heaven) 南天门

Location: Top area of Mount Tai

As the end of Eighteen Twistings, the South Heavenly Gate also named Heavenly Gate Pass is the terminal of cable-car and the only road passing through the Taishan Summit. With area of 1.6 square kilometers, it was built by Zhang Zhichun, an abbot in 1264. Standing in the1460 meters above sea level, the gate is an attic-styled architecture with stone arched doorway. Decorated by red walls and yellow glazed tiles on the roof, this imposing building is like a marvel between the peaks.

No.6 Gongbei Stone 拱北石 - Watching Sunrise

Location: Top area of Mount Tai

In the east of Jade Emperor Peak - Yuhuangding, there is a huge stone which is 6.5 meters long, and 30 degrees northwestward from the ground. It is called "Gongbei stone"（拱北石） or “Tanhai” stone. It is a landmark site of Mount Tai and one of the best places for sunrise. In the rainy and humid seasons like summer and autumn, it is also a nice viewing point to see the mountains in the mist and sea of clouds, as if in a fairyland.

No.7 Zhongtianmen (Halfway to Heaven) 中天门 - Intersection

Location: Halfway of Mount Tai Scenic Area

Zhongtianmen, meaning halfway to heaven, is the intersection of Mount Tai scenic area, located on the mountainside. It is the end of the driveway from the Tianwaicun entrance. Zhongtian gate was built in the Qing Dynasty. In the East, there are antique teahouses, a Hotel in the southwest, and Zhongtianmen cableway station in the northwest. Zhongtianmen is located in a canyon, surrounded by magnificent scenery, steep mountains and broad valleys, surrounded by pavilions. The sunset here is very beautiful.

No.8 Heaven Street 天街

Location: Top area of Mount Tai

Passing by South Heavenly Gate, with several steps in the east, you come to the Heavenly Street. This whole street is about 1000 meters stretching to Bixia Temple, filled with hotels, restaurants and various shops on one side and 1500 meters cliff on the other side. Just as the name called, walking on the street is like walking in the heaven, you can embrace the clouds and overlook the whole Taishan landscape.

No.9 Sun-Viewing Peak 日观峰

Location: East peak of Mount Tai Scenic Area

Sun-Viewing peak (日观峰) is located in the southeast of Jade Emperor Peak. It was called JieQiu rock in ancient times. The total length of the sun watching corridor is 30 meters, and the pavilion corridor is connected. It looks like a fairy Pavilion standing up and dazzling. On it, you can enjoy the rising sun. The vast sea of rosy clouds underneath the rising sun is one of the most spectacular scenes of Mt Tai and inspired many writers, poets, and painters.

No.10 18 Bends 十八盘 - Hiking Route

Location: Walkway of Mount Tai Scenic Area

The 18 bends is one of the steepest and most challenging hiking paths of Mt. Tai. The walkway from Songshan Valley to the Nantianmen is called "Shibapan", with 1600 steps. The first 393 levels are called slow 18 bends, the middle 767 steps are another 18 bends, and the last 473 stairs are the last 18 bends. Less than one kilometer, the vertical height is more than 400 meters, the slope is about 70-80 degrees, and you need hike for more than 2 hours. Seen from afar, it looks like a heavenly ladder. There are iron ropes for climbing on both sides of the mountain road, which is convenient for tourists to hike.

No.11 Tianzhufeng Peak 天烛峰 - East Entrance

Location: East entrance of Mount Tai Scenic Area

The shape of the Tianzhufeng peak is like a giant candlestick. There are two peaks of Tianzhufeng called big Tianzhufeng, Datianzhufeng peak, and small Tianzhufeng, Xiaotianzhufeng, respectively. The path along them is the best place to appreciate the ancient pine trees in Mount Tai. It is the east entrance of Mount Tai with the most primitive hiking path. Along the path of wildness, there are cliffs, deep valleys, strange pines, and rocks all over the place. It is less visited by tourists, and the famous night show- Fengshan ceremony is not far away from the entrance of the Tianzhufeng peak.

No.12 Zhanlu Terrace 瞻鲁台 - Overlooking Taian City

Location: Top area of Mount Tai

Zhanlu terrace is located in the south of the sun-viewing peak. The stones are very flat there like a platform. There are huge stones on the terrace, and the three characters "Zhanlutai" are engraved on the platform, implying that Qufu of the state of Lu which is the home state of Confucius. It can be seen from here. On the three sides of the stone platform, steep as the cut. This place used to be also called "sacrifice cliff". Later, in the Ming Dynasty, the governor of Shandong Province, built a stone fence in front of the cliff, and change its name to "Ai Shen Ya" meaning cherishing life cliff.

The hometown of the great sage Confucius and his descendants, the Kong clan, Qūfù (曲阜) is a testament to the importance of Confucian thought in imperial China to this day. The town is one of Shāndōng's top sights, and is a mandatory stop for anyone keen to see how revered the social philosopher remains.

Qufu Confucius Temple (Kong Miao in Chinese), at the hometown of Confucius, is the most famous and the largest temple of its kind in the memory of the sage. His ideology was developed to the influential Confucianism, which has had the most enduring and profound effect over Chinese culture.

Located inside the south gate of Qufu, Shandong, the Temple of Confucius is a group of grand buildings built in oriental style. Together with the Summer Palace in Beijing and the Mountain Resort of Chengde , it is one of the three largest ancient architectural complexes in China.

Qufu Confucius Temple started as three houses in the year of 478 BC, the second year after the death of the sage. Each year as Confucianism became the standard of Chinese culture, its scale was expanded accordingly. Sacrifices were often offered, either by Emperors themselves, or by emperor-appointed high officials. In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Emperor Qianlong offered sacrifices here eight times. The Gate to the Temple was named Lingxing Gate. Lingxing was the legendary star of literacy, and emperors offered sacrifices first to Lingxing when they offered sacrifices to heaven. The scale of offering sacrifices was as grand as that given to the heavens. This gives us an idea of the importance of the sage in history.

The existing temple was rebuilt and renovated during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Patterned after a royal palace, it is divided into nine courtyards. The main buildings run along a north to south axis, with the attached buildings symmetrically in line. The whole group includes three halls, one pavilion, one altar, and three ancestral temples. Altogether there are 466 rooms and 54 gateways covering an area of 218,000 square meters (2,346,609 square feet). The yellow tiles and red walls all covered with delicate decoration make the place extremely grand.

After Great Sage Gate (Dasheng Men), the buildings are divided into three parts. The central part is for offering sacrifices to Confucius and other scholars and sages. The eastern part is for sacrifices to his ancestors, while the west is for his parents.

However, Qufu Confucius Temple wins its fame not only for its grandness, but also for the rich cultural relics found there. The 2100 pieces of steles remaining from various dynasties make a fine exhibition of calligraphy and stone sculpture.

The following three exquisite areas are the richest and most representative of the Temple's beautiful architecture:

Dacheng Hall is the main hall. This hall is 24.8 meters (81feet) high on a base of 21 meters (69 feet), and is the highest building in the Temple as well as being one of the three largest ancient halls in China. Dacheng means master with great achievement, which truly describes the sage himself.

Located in front of the Dacheng Hall, Apricot Altar is said to be where Confucius preached. The Altar is surrounded by red fences with hills behind them. One finely decorated pavilion has a painted dragon and a stele engraved with Emperor Qianlong's handwriting.

Kuiwen Pavilion, a library, is in the middle of the Temple. Kuixing was the legendary star responsible for literacy in ancient China. A famous wooden pavilion, Kuiwen Pavilion was daintily designed with two stories. The upper story houses classic books and writings given by emperors and kings while the lower story houses items used by the emperors when offering sacrifices to Confucius.

At the Temple, when surrounded by the stately halls, elegant pavilions, dignified memorial archway, and classical courtyard, every visitor will gain an insight into the life of Confucius and his role in Chinese culture.

Confucius Family Mansion (Kong Fu)

East of the Temple of Confucius, is the Confucius Family Mansion (Kong Fu). Kong is the family surname of Confucius and his descendants. The mansion is where his first son and the first grandson lived. In scope, it is next only to the royal palaces of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Dynasties came and went but the First Family under Heaven has lasted the longest.

Covering 39 acres, the mansion grounds house 463 buildings such as halls, pavilions, and towers that are divided into three parts. The Eastern part is the family temple, the Western institute and the Central main buildings. The Central part is then divided into two sections with the front being the office and the family residence behind. The garden is located at the back of the residence.

Though less splendid than the Forbidden City, the Mansion boasts luxury furnishings, exquisite decorations, and precious cultural relics. These relics, some given by emperors, some presented by high ranking officials and celebrities, and some purchased at a high price, are the most valuable resource for research on ancient Chinese history and culture.

This family mansion is the largest of its kind in Chinese history. In 1994, the Mansion, the Cemetery and the Temple were listed as World Cultural Heritage buildings.

Confucius Cemetery (Kong Lin)

At a location 1 km (0.62miles) north of Qufu, Shandong, one can visit this Cemetery where the family and descendants of Confucianism are buried. It has the longest line of descendants in the world. Record has it that this cemetery has already lasted 2340 years. At the time Confucius was buried there, the cemetery was about 1 qin ( 6.67hectares). It was continually expanded to over 3,000 mu (200 hectares) through constant l and grants by emperors of following dynasties. The walls here are 7 kilometers (4.35miles) long enclosing more than 10,000 tombs.

The sacred way that leads up to the cemetery is 1,266 meters (4,153 feet) and is lined with verdant pines and cedars. At the end of the road stands a wooden memorial archway - called the Most Sacred Cemetery (Zhi Sheng Lin), and is the gate to the Cemetery of Confucius.

The evolution of the Cemetery reflects the role of Confucianism through history. During his eventful life, the sage drifted from one place to another, trying to persuade the authorities to adopt his philosophy, but with little success. It was during later dynasties that Confucianism gained popularity among the authorities. Therefore, before his tomb, a tombstone of the Master and the Most Sacred Wenxuan King was set up in 1443. To the east lies the tomb of his son, Kong Li, while to the south is the tomb of Kong Ji, his grandson. This configuration is called 'holding the son and hugging the grandson'; considered an ideal family pattern in China.

Beside the tombs stand steles inscribed with handwritings of the notable people of the times, and vibrant stone sculptures. The Cemetery is renowned for its natural botanical areas, largely owing to more than 1,000 mature trees. It is said that after the sage's death, disciples planted rare trees from all over China. Some of the trees are so rare that their proper names are yet unknown.

When you walk into the Cemetery and fully enjoy the treasures here, you will certainly be impressed by the role of the sage in Chinese culture.

The Ancient Mother of the Northern Cuisine Styles

Shandong Province has a long coast, so fresh river fish and seafood were always the local delicacies.

Shandong was one of the first civilized regions in China and an early cultural center, now Shandong cuisine is relished for the many kinds of different seafood and vegetable dishes and their style of frying in high heat that locks in the flavors and isn't oily.

Meals may change based on the time and location. We will try our best to help you enjoy a variety of Chinese food

👇 For One-day Tour

👇 For Long-term activities for two days or more

Please let us know immediately if your plans change!

Due to the particularity of some tourist resources which need to be booked in advance and cause actual losses, the specific losses include but are not limited to train tickets, air tickets, hotels, etc. If tourists need to cancel their orders, they should contact FCN in time to assist tourists in reducing losses and refund other losses that have not actually occurred in accordance with the principle of refund. 

In the rare event that FCN cancels a trip, or we are unable to serve you, all fees are immediately refunded, including the deposit.