Dai Temple

Dai Temple is an ancient Chinese imperial site for worshiping the God of Mount Tai, with a profound historical and cultural heritage. The origin of Dai Temple can be traced back to the ancient emperors' activities of offering sacrifices to Mount Tai. As the "head of the Five Mountains," Mount Tai has been regarded as a sacred symbol since ancient times. In order to pray for national prosperity and good weather, emperors of all dynasties would come to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices. As a place for worshiping the God of Mount Tai, the history of Dai Temple is closely linked to the Fengshan culture of Mount Tai. Dai Temple was first built during the Qin and Han dynasties, initially on a small scale. With the development of history, after several expansions and renovations, it has gradually formed its current scale. The Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties all carried out varying degrees of construction and expansion of Dai Temple, making its architecture more magnificent and its cultural relics richer and more diverse. Today, Dai Temple is a national key cultural relics protection unit and an important part of the Mount Tai scenic area. It is not only a treasure house for studying ancient Chinese architecture, sculpture, painting, calligraphy, and other arts, but also an important window for understanding ancient Chinese history and culture. Dai Temple is located at the southern foot of Mount Tai in Tai'an City, Shandong Province. It is rectangular in shape, 405.7m long from north to south, 236.7m wide from east to west, with a total area of about 96,000 square meters. The entire building complex is centered on a longitudinal axis, symmetrical from left to right, with a rigorous layout and a magnificent momentum, reflecting the style of ancient Chinese royal architecture. Main buildings: Zhengyang Gate: It is the main gate of Dai Temple, tall and majestic, and is the main passage into Dai Temple. There is a gate tower on Zhengyang Gate. The architectural style of the gate tower is simple and elegant, with high artistic value. Yaocan Pavilion: Located outside the Zhengyang Gate of Dai Temple, it is the prelude to Dai Temple. The architectural style of Yaocan Pavilion is unique. The pavilion enshrines the statue of the God of Mount Tai, which is a place for tourists to worship before entering Dai Temple. Dai Temple Archway: It is one of the iconic buildings of Dai Temple, located on the north side of Yaocan Pavilion. Dai Temple Archway is a four-pillar, three-room, soaring stone archway. The archway is carved with exquisite patterns, such as cloud dragons, unicorns, and lions, which have high artistic value. Tiankuang Hall: It is the main building of Dai Temple, located in the center of Dai Temple. Tiankuang Hall is a palace-style building, enshrining the statue of the God of Mount Tai, and is the main place for worshiping the God of Mount Tai. The architectural style of Tiankuang Hall is magnificent, and the hall is decorated luxuriously, with murals, painted sculptures, etc., which have high artistic value. Side Halls: There are also many side halls in Dai Temple, such as the East Side Hall and the West Side Hall. The architectural styles of these side halls are similar to that of Tiankuang Hall, but they are smaller in scale. The side halls enshrine the statues of the God of Mount Tai's spouse and other gods, and are important places for sacrificial activities. Stele Forest: There are many steles in Dai Temple, forming a stele forest. These steles record the history and culture of Dai Temple, and have high historical and artistic value. The steles in the stele forest are from the Qin, Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, with rich and diverse content, including inscriptions for worshiping the God of Mount Tai, imperial inscriptions by emperors, and poems and odes by literati. Dai Temple is a place for worshiping the God of Mount Tai, reflecting ancient Chinese religious beliefs and sacrificial culture. The God of Mount Tai occupies an important position in ancient Chinese religion and is regarded as the deity in charge of human life, death, good fortune, and misfortune. The sacrificial activities in Dai Temple are not only a respect for the God of Mount Tai, but also a way to pray for national prosperity and good weather. Dai Temple has witnessed the development of ancient Chinese history and recorded the Fengshan sacrificial activities of emperors of past dynasties. The steles, cultural relics, etc. in Dai Temple are important materials for studying ancient Chinese history. Through these steles and cultural relics, we can learn about the political, economic, and cultural aspects of ancient China. The architecture, sculpture, painting, calligraphy, and other art forms of Dai Temple have high artistic value. The architectural style of Dai Temple is magnificent, the sculptures are exquisite, the paintings are vivid, and the calligraphy is elegant. These art forms not only reflect the superb skills of ancient Chinese artists, but also reflect the prosperity and development of ancient Chinese culture and art. Ticket price: CNY 20. Opening hours: March 1 to April 30: 8:00–17:30. May 1 to October 7: 8:00–18:30. October 8 to October 31: 8:00–17:30. November 1 to February 28: 8:00–17:00.