Mount Taishan is the greatest of China's five sacred mountains, rising from the Shandong plain to 1,545 metres, and for about three thousand years it has been a place of pilgrimage and imperial ritual. Emperors climbed it to perform the feng and shan sacrifices, ceremonies reporting their success to Heaven and Earth, and Confucius is said to have climbed it too and remarked that the world seemed small. UNESCO listed it in 1987 for both natural and cultural value, one of the first sites in China to be recognised.
The mountain is covered in carved stone: inscriptions by emperors and poets are cut into cliffs and boulders along the way, with temples, pavilions and gates marking the route. The main path starts at the Dai Temple in the town of Tai'an, where emperors prepared for the ascent, and climbs thousands of stone steps, through pine forests, to the South Gate of Heaven and the summit. Many pilgrims climb at night to watch the sunrise from the top, a great sight when the sky is clear, and the mountain also has a cable car for those who prefer to save their knees.
The nature is lovely: ancient cypresses, some said to be over two thousand years old, grow near the temples, and mist often clings to the ridges. The weather at the top is colder and windier than at the base, even in summer, so bring a warm layer. Spring and autumn offer the clearest views, though they also bring crowds, and national holidays can be extremely busy.
For riders, Tai'an is the base, with the roads in the area flat and busy. Tai'an has fuel, restaurants and hotels, as does Feicheng, further away, and local cooking includes Tai'an tofu dishes and wheat pancakes. Plan to spend most of a day on the mountain, wear good shoes and carry water. Rules for foreign motorcyclists in China are strict, so confirm licensing and permits in advance, and consider using local transport for the town and mountain.