Atlas of China
Tai'an 泰安Tài’ān
A sacred peak, its imperial temple and a Neolithic type site
About Tai'an
Tai'an lies at the foot of Mount Tai, first of China's Five Great Mountains, a place of worship for at least 3,000 years and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. At its base, the Daoist Dai Temple was where emperors made offerings to the mountain god, and the Dawenkou Site gave its name to a Neolithic culture. Dongping Lake, to the west, is the last remnant of the marsh described in Water Margin, and the hills around hold Buddhist grottoes and cliff inscriptions.
What to eat in Tai'an
- Poached Taishan red-scale fish (清氽赤鳞鱼)
- Fanzhen flaky flatbread (范镇油酥火烧)
- Taishan Nü'er tea (泰山女儿茶)
Featured places in Tai'an
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Mount Tai 泰山
China's most sacred peak, climbed by emperors and by night hikers chasing sunrise
Listed sites in Tai'an
20 sites in Tai'an are on the official lists. Those with a page of their own link to it; the rest open as cards on the map.
- Baifo Mountain and Grottoes 白佛山 4A scenic area · National heritage site
A 370 m hill on the western side of Dongping, the county seat, whose cliff grottoes are centred on a Shakyamuni statue about 6.7 m high, carved in 587 in the Sui dynasty and protected as a national unit. - Chunqiu Ancient Town 春秋古镇 4A scenic area · on the map
A newly built town in classical northern Chinese style in Feicheng's Xincheng area, on more than 400 mu (roughly 27 hectares) with about 150,000 square metres of floor space. - Culai Mountain Forest Hot Spring Wellness Valley 徂徕山森林温泉康养度假谷 4A scenic area · on the map
A hot-spring and wellness resort in the foothills of Culai Mountain, where a Tai'an government article of 2025 says the springs stand on the site of the Tang-dynasty 'Qianfeng bath'. - Dongping Lake 东平湖 4A scenic area
Shandong's second-largest freshwater lake, described as the surviving water of the 'eight hundred li' Liangshan marsh of the novel Water Margin and a key point on the eastern route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project. - Fantawild Adventure, Tai'an 泰山方特欢乐世界 4A scenic area · on the map
A theme park of the Fantawild chain on the north-eastern side of Tai'an, opened in 2010 and built around science-fiction and fantasy themes. - Kunlun Mountain Scenic Area, Dongping 昆仑山景区 4A scenic area · on the map
A hill-and-lakeshore scenic area at Nantangzi village on the western shore of Dongping Lake, not to be confused with the Kunlun mountain range. - Sun Tribe 太阳部落 4A scenic area · on the map
A theme park in Manzhuang town built around prehistoric life and the Dawenkou culture of the Tai'an area. - Taishan Baotailong Tourist Area 泰山宝泰隆旅游区 4A scenic area · on the map
A tourist area in Qiujiadian town, east of Tai'an, built around the Tai'an Underground Dragon Palace, a show cave with stalactites, flowstone and stone columns. - Tianyi Lake 天颐湖 4A scenic area · on the map
A lakeside leisure area in Manzhuang town, south of Tai'an, that operates as the Taishan Flower Sea scenic area and has a Ferris wheel. - Wubu Stone Village (Huodamen) 五埠岭伙大门 4A scenic area · on the map
A hill village of dry-stone houses, with more than 200 courtyards of the Ming, Qing and Republican periods and the nickname 'first stone village of Shandong'. - Xinfu Mountain (Lotus Mountain) 新甫山 4A scenic area · on the map
A mountain scenic area on Xinfu Mountain, also called Lotus Mountain from its nine peaks, which rises to 994 m north-west of Xintai. - Yan Hui Temple and Yan Forest, Ningyang 宁阳颜子庙 4A scenic area · National heritage site · on the map
A memorial temple and family burial grove for Yan Hui (Yan Zi), Confucius's favourite disciple, who is venerated as the 'Restored Sage' (Fusheng). - Chaoyang Cave, Taoshan 陶山朝阳洞石刻造像 National heritage site · on the map
A natural limestone cave on the north-west cliff of the main peak of Taoshan in Hutun town, in three chambers whose walls hold Buddhist and Daoist statues and more than 80 carvings and inscriptions from the Song dynasty to the Republic. - Dai Temple 岱庙 National heritage site
The principal temple of the god of Mount Tai, in the old town of Tai'an at the southern foot of the mountain, where emperors held sacrifices to the mountain. - Dawenkou Ancient Stone Bridge 大汶口古石桥 National heritage site
A long stone-slab bridge over the Dawen River on the southern edge of Dawenkou town, first built in the Longqing reign (1567–72) of the Ming dynasty. - Dawenkou Site 大汶口遗址 National heritage site
The type site of the Neolithic Dawenkou culture, beside the Dawen River in Daiyue District. - Hongding Mountain Cliff Sutras 洪顶山摩崖刻经 National heritage site · on the map
Buddhist sutra texts carved in large characters on rock faces of Hongding Mountain, covering close to 1,400 square metres and including dedications dated 563–564 in the Northern Qi dynasty, regarded as the earliest cliff sutras in Shandong. - Jiliang Mountain Rock Carvings 棘梁山石刻 National heritage site · on the map
Buddhist rock-cut figures on Sili hill (also called Jiliang Mountain) in Daimiao town. - Site of the Culai Mountain Armed Uprising 徂徕山抗日武装起义旧址 National heritage site · on the map
A memorial site in the Culai Mountain area for the armed uprising of the winter of 1937–38. - Tomb of Xiao Daheng 萧大亨墓地石刻 National heritage site · on the map
The tomb of Xiao Daheng (1532–1612), a Tai'an man who served as Ming minister of war and minister of justice.
On the map
Open Tai'an on the illustrated map to see its outline, its places and listed sites together, and to add them to a trip.
Open Tai'an on the map