Even before Emperor Qinshihuang unified China in 221 BC, there were 72 attested kings of states who scaled the peak for various reasons. For ancient Chinese, Taishan, standing in the east of the country, ushered in the sun’s first light every day.

Many of the kings held sacrificial ceremonies on the peak, with the aim of getting closer to God. However, not every emperor had the right to perform the fengshan, a solemn ritual ceremony regarded as a reward for particular feats. Fengshan would only be held when emperors united the country or maintained peace despite the odds. Fengshan was thus a symbol of peace and prosperity. According to official histories, only 12 emperors conducted the sacred ceremony.

The mountain blessed emperors as well as the common people. Scaling Taishan would ensure peace in one’s household and beyond. Chinese people today continue to believe this – it has become a faith of sorts in its own right, and thousands of visitors climb the peak every day of the year.

The mountain has been the spiritual home of the nation for as long as people can remember. As early as the Neolithic period, the mountain has been a natural refuge for human populations. The people of the Dawenkou Culture are understood to have prayed for rain on Taishan. When the Yellow River, the “Mother River” of China, flooded, people would seek safety by climbing the peak. One piece of ancient pottery unearthed on a slope depicts the sun above, flames in the middle and Taishan below. This indicates the belief that Taishan lit the sun. It is not hard to see why the mountain would thus be worshipped.

Time flies, and gods change. Nowadays people climb Taishan to worship Lord Dongyue and the “Grandma Taishan. Dongyue is another name for Taishan, meaning “sacred mountain in the east.” Why is it sacred? The legend goes that Pangu, the progenitor of all human beings, created the world by seperating the heaven from the earth with his axe. When he died, his head became Taishan Mountain. “Grandma Taishan” is a nickname for the Bixia Goddess, who was sent by the Yellow Emperor to the mountain to take care of its people. Today, Bixia Temple is still the most popular place for praying on the mountain.