Why did the emperors in ancient times offer sacrifices to heaven on Mount Tai? How many temples are there on Mount Tai?

Mount Tai is famous for its magnificent scenery. The overlapping mountains, the heavy shapes, the setting of the pines and rocks, and the changes of the clouds and mist make it both majestic and bright, and mysterious in its tranquility. The most famous are the "Four Wonders of Mount Tai". Why did the emperors in ancient times offer sacrifices to the heavens on Mount Tai? If you are interested, you can read the following article to learn more about Mount Tai.

Contents of this article

1. Why did the emperors in ancient times offer sacrifices to the heavens on Mount Tai?

2. How many temples are there on Mount Tai?

3. When can you see the sunrise on Mount Tai?

Why did the emperors in ancient times offer sacrifices to the heavens on Mount Tai?

The main purpose is to emphasize that he is the Son of Heaven and the divine right of the emperor, so as to strengthen the rule of the regime. Fengshan means "offering sacrifice to heaven" (mostly refers to the Son of Heaven ascending Mount Tai to build an altar to offer sacrifice to heaven), and shan means "offering sacrifice to earth" (mostly refers to removing the ground from the hills under Mount Tai to offer sacrifice to earth). It is a large-scale ceremony for ancient emperors to offer sacrifice to heaven and earth in times of peace and prosperity or when auspicious signs from heaven appear. Fengshan first appeared in "Guan Zi Fengshan Chapter". Later, Taishigong quoted the content of "Guan Zi Fengshan Chapter" in "Historical Records Fengshan Book" and interpreted it. Zhang Shoujie of the Tang Dynasty explained "Fengshan" when explaining "Historical Records" and pointed out the purpose of Fengshan. The general idea is to build a round altar on the top of Mount Tai to repay the merits of heaven, and build a square altar on the hills at the foot of Mount Tai to repay the merits of earth. That is "ascending Fengshan to repay heaven, descending shan to remove the ground" in "Historical Records Fengshan Book". During the Warring States Period, some Confucian scholars in Qi and Lu believed that Mount Tai was the highest among the Five Mountains, and the emperor should go to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices. Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han all held Fengshan ceremonies. The General Meaning of the Five Classics states: "To change one's surname and become king, and bring peace, one must enshrine Mount Tai, worship Liangfu, and be made king by the will of heaven, so as to govern all living things, report peace to heaven, and repay the merits of all gods." Therefore, the Fengshan activity is essentially a means of emphasizing the divine right of kings.

How many temples are there on Mount Tai?

1. The most outstanding one is the Dai Temple. The Dai Temple is located at the southern foot of Mount Tai in Tai'an City, Shandong Province. It is the holy place of the Quanzhen Sect of Taoism and the third batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

2. The Jade Emperor Temple of Mount Tai was formerly known as the Taiqing Palace and the Jade Emperor Temple. The date of its initial construction is unknown and it was rebuilt during the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty. It consists of the mountain gate, the Jade Emperor Hall, the Sun Viewing Pavilion, the River Viewing Pavilion, and the East and West Daoist Houses.

3. Bixia Temple is a holy place of Quanzhen Sect of Taoism, located on the south side of the top of Mount Tai. It was first built in 1009 (the second year of Dazhong Xiangfu in the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty) and was originally named Zhaozhen Temple. It was called Zhaozhen Temple in the Jin Dynasty. It was renamed Bixia Lingying Palace, also known as Bixia Lingyou Palace, during the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty (1488-1505).

4. Mount Tai Confucius Temple, located on the north side of the eastern end of Tianjie, Mount Tai, was built by Shangshu Zhu Heng during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, and the main hall was repaired during the Wanli period.

5. The Green Emperor Palace is located in the southwest of Jade Emperor Peak on Mount Tai, with Shenqi Palace to the west and the winding path to Jade Emperor Peak to the east. It is the upper temple of the Green Emperor Guangsheng Emperor.

6. Zhulin Temple on the western foot of Mount Tai is located not far above the Black Dragon Pond and the Changshou Spring.

7. Shanziya Temple was built by Wang Wuyu, a scholar from Tai'an in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and rebuilt by Liang Hongjun, a Taoist priest during the Republic of China. It gradually fell into ruin after the founding of the People's Republic of China. The temple gate faces east.

When can you see the sunrise on Mount Tai?

The chance of seeing the sunrise when climbing Mount Tai is highest from September to early November in autumn.

During this period, the probability of strong winds and precipitation in Mount Tai is low, there are more sunny days, and the temperature is relatively suitable. There are two situations to watch the sunrise at the top of Mount Tai: one is to watch the sunrise on land, and the other is to watch the sunrise on the sea. Usually there are more opportunities to watch the sunrise on land. At the intersection of autumn and winter, as long as there are fewer clouds and the northwest wind blows the day before or turns to northwest wind after rain, the next day is clear and sunny, and you can see the sunrise.

The natural climatic conditions required to watch the sunrise over the sea from the top of Mount Tai are even more stringent, and there is only a chance to do so around the summer solstice and winter solstice. At this time, the sunrise direction moves southward away from the Jiaodong Peninsula to the sea area closest to the land, and the night must be clear and windless, and the refraction of the air layer must be greater than 52 degrees to see the sunrise.