Traveling on M2 Motorway China new silk road (Svibanj 2024)
Mount Tai, kineski (Pinyin) Tai Shan ili (romanizacija Wade-Giles) T'ai Shan, planinska masa s nekoliko vrhova duž osi jugozapad-sjeveroistok, sjeverno od grada Tai'an u provinciji Shandong, istočna Kina. Mount Tai sastoji se od mnogo razbijenog bloka, koji se uglavnom sastoji od arhaičnih kristalnih škriljaca i granita te nekih drevnih krečnjaka. Najviša točka, vrh Tianzhu, doseže visinu od 1.524 metra. Mount Tai je izvorno bio poznat kao Daizong ili Daishan. Od Qin vremena (221–207 pne) bio je poznat i kao Dongyue („Istočna planina“), jedna od pet svetih planina Kine, i obično se svrstao kao prvi među njima; ostala četiri su: Mount Heng u provinciji Hunan (na jugu), Mount Hua u provinciji Shaanxi (zapad), Mount Heng u provinciji Shanxi (na sjeveru), i Mount Song u provinciji Henan (u sredini).
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Mount Tai bio je povijesno važan u kitu službenih državnih obreda, mjesto dvaju najspektakularnijih od svih ceremonija tradicionalnog kineskog carstva. Jedan od njih, nazvan feng, bio je smješten na planini Tai i sastojao se od prinosa nebu; drugi, zvani chan, držao se na nižem brežuljku i davao prinose zemlji. Ti se obredi često nazivaju fenghanom (štovanje neba i zemlje) i vjeruje se da osiguravaju bogatstvo dinastije. Izvršavali su se u rijetkim intervalima - za vrijeme Xi (zapadne) dinastije Han (206 bce-25 ce) 110, 106, 102 i 98 bce; za vrijeme dinastije Dong (Istok) Han (25-220 ce) u 56. ce; i carevi iz dinastije Tang (618–907) 666. i ponovo 725.
Mount Tai was not only the site of imposing state ceremonies. It was also home to powerful spirits for whom rituals were performed in spring for a good harvest and in autumn to give thanks for a harvest completed. Since Mount Tai was the chief ceremonial centre for eastern China, rites were also performed to seek protection from floods and earthquakes.
Mount Tai became associated with a wide range of beliefs that were derived from folk religion and connected with Daoism, a philosophy integral to Chinese life and thought for more than 2,000 years. It was considered to be the centre of the yang (male) principle, the source of life, and from the Dong Han period onward it was believed that the spirits of Mount Tai determined all human destiny and that after death the souls of people returned to Mount Tai for judgment. The name of the most important spirit, originally Taishan Fujun (“Lord of Mount Tai”), was, with the emergence of organized Daoism, changed to Taiyue Dadi (“Grand Emperor of Mount Tai”). In Ming times (1368–1644) the centre of the popular cult was transferred from the spirit himself to his daughter, Taishan Niangniang (“The Lady of Mount Tai”)—also called Bixia Yunjun (“Goddess of the Colourful Clouds”)—whose cult had begun to grow from about 1000 and who became a northern Daoist equivalent to the Buddhist Guanyin (Kuan-yin) or to Avalokitesvara (bodhisattva of mercy), whose cult was powerful in central and southern China.
The slopes of Mount Tai have long been covered with temples and shrines dedicated to the complex pantheon of associated spirits. In the past, vast numbers of pilgrims visited it annually, and a great festival was held in the third month of the Chinese year. Mount Tai has a long history of grandeur, and, in addition to religious structures, it has many towers, pavilions, and other cultural relics. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987, it is an important part of Chinese history and culture.
