Welcome to Tai’an, the city at the foot of Mount Tai. Your tour guide and driver will meet you at Tai’an Train Station, then escort you to check in to your hotel in Tai’an downtown.
After a short orientation in your hotel, you will be taken to visit Dai Temple which is the epitome of Mount Tai's history and culture with important historical and artistic values. Originally built in the Han Dynasty, it is the place where ancient Chinese emperors worship the gods of Mount Tai and hold the ceremony of sacrifice. With a total area of 100000 square meters, it is one of four largest existing ancient building complexes in China (the other three are Forbidden Palace in Beijing, Confucian Sites in Qufu and Chengdu Royal Mountain Resorts). Tianfu Hall, the main building, was founded in the Song Dynasty, was built with the highest standard of ancient Chinese architecture. It is one of the three palace buildings in ancient China (the other two are Taihe Hall in Forbidden City, Dacheng Hall in Confucius Temple Qufu). The large-scale mural in the hall is one of the best existing Taoist murals in China, with high historical and artistic value. There are more than 200 ancient trees in Dai Temple, among which "Han Dynasty Cypress" and "Tang Dynasty Locusts" are the most famous.
Dai Temple also acts as a national museum. It preserves the sacrificial utensils, offerings and handicrafts of the emperors of past dynasties to worship the God of Mount Tai. There are 211 stele inscriptions in all dynasties since Qin and Han Dynasties, which is known as "Stele Forest". The most famous one is the Qin Dynasty Stele which is praised as "the ancestor of all Chinese steles", which engraves the merits and virtues of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a unified China.
After visiting Dai Temple, return to your hotel in Tai’an city.
Optional evening activity: enjoy the live show "Fengchan Ceremony" which is grand and magnificent in scale, integrated with beautiful music and dances, representing you the vivid scene of how ancient emperors of different dynasties paying homage and offering sacrifice to the God.