Exploring - Dai Temple in Tai An, Shandong

Our last day in Shandong we went to the Dai Temple at the foot of Mt. Tai.  Traditionally we should have gone there the first day and paid our respects before we climbed up to the summit.  Since we didn’t know that the first day, we went the last morning before we took the train back to Shanghai.

In retrospect, going there after we had climbed the summit was more interesting because they had a series of photographs taken by a French explorer at the beginning of the last century displayed in one area.  Since we had already climbed those same paths, it was remarkable to see how little things had changed in general.  In addition to that exhibit, there also was an exhibit of paintings from North Korea which was unexpected but lovely.

We went in the early morning before the day got hot and spent over an hour enjoying the courtyards and pavilions and a remarkable painting inside one building about the story of the gods on Mt. Tai and how they came to survey their land.  No photos there to protect the painting.

Setting the stage in the initial waiting area

The great seal

Map of the temple grounds

Lanterns for dragon boat festival

Mt. Tai – one hundred years ago

Original photos of Mt. Tai

Getting a lay of the land

Victory!

The main shrine

Which way up?

One of many pavilions

The back gate

On the top of the wall

Look at the birds behind!

Behind the back gate after we made it through the entire temple complex we could see Mt. Tai rising in the distance, beckoning us to climb one more time.

The Dai Temple marked the final stop of a great long weekend in Shandong province.  It was a lot of fun and I’d love to go back in a different season to see how the landscape changes.  China has so many more places to see though, I think that there are many others that I’ll try to see first.

Any favorite photos or temples?

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