Dai Temple(Dongyue Temple)

The Dai Temple is located at the southern foot of Mount Tai and in Tai'an City. It was first built in the Qin and Han Dynasties. It was the place where emperors of ancient dynasties worshipped the gods of Mount Tai and held sacrificial ceremonies. It is also a famous Taoist place. The Dai Temple has a large-scale architectural complex and is known as one of the four major ancient architectural complexes in China, along with the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Three Confucian Temples in Qufu, Shandong, and the Chengde Mountain Resort. Today, the majestic palaces are well preserved here, and you can enjoy the huge murals of the Song Dynasty and many ancient inscriptions.

The entire Dai Temple was built in accordance with the palace city of ancient emperors. The high battlements and magnificent palaces show the style of ancient temples everywhere. Entering the Dai Temple from south to north, you can pass through the main buildings such as the Yaocan Pavilion, the Dai Temple Square, the Zhengyang Gate, the Peitian Gate, and the Ren'an Gate in turn, and then reach the Tianfu Hall. Among them, the tall Zhengyang Gate is the main entrance to the Dai Temple. In ancient times, only emperors could enter from this gate.

Tianfu Hall is the core building of Dai Temple. It is the shrine of Emperor Dongyue. The God of Mount Tai (i.e. Emperor Dongyue) is enshrined in the hall. On the north, east and west walls of the hall are painted huge murals from the Song Dynasty, "Taishan Qiluan Huiluan Tu", which depicts the grand scene of the God of Mount Tai's tour. The people and horses in the painting are in various poses and the shapes are vivid and lifelike. This is the only painting of this theme in the country. You need to buy shoe covers at the door before entering Tianfu Hall, and you cannot take pictures of the murals.

There are more than 300 steles and stone carvings from past dynasties in Dai Temple, so it is called "Dai Temple Stele Beilin " and a famous place to appreciate calligraphy. You can see the earliest existing stone carvings in China - the Qin Dynasty Li Si Xiaozhuan Stele. This stone carving is the edict issued by Qin II Hu Hai, and was carved by Prime Minister Li Si in Xiaozhuan font. It has a history of more than 2,200 years and is a precious treasure. There are also the representative works of Han Dynasty official script style "Zhang Qian Stele" and "Heng Fang Stele", one of the three great steles of Jin Dynasty, "Madam Sun" Stele, and the unique Tang Dynasty "Shuang Shu Stele" and other precious historical sites.

In addition, the trees in the Dai Temple are lush and towering, and the environment is very beautiful. There are many precious ancient trees, especially the "Han Cypress" and "Tang Sophora japonica" that have experienced thousands of years of wind and rain, which are among the ancient trees and famous trees in the Dai Temple. There are five ancient cypresses in the Han Cypress Courtyard, which are said to have been planted by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty when he was enfeoffed in the east. Although they are now peeled and withered, new branches continue to grow. There are also dozens of steles from past dynasties in the courtyard, and there are 26 steles made by Emperor Qianlong alone.

There are also a copper pavilion and an iron tower on the east and west sides of the backyard of the Dai Temple, both of which are Ming Dynasty relics and were moved here from other places in Tai'an. Among them, the copper pavilion, also known as the "Golden Palace", was earlier placed in the Bixia Temple on the top of Mount Tai. The ancient craftsmen with superb skills assembled the pavilion in the form of imitation wood structure, which can be said to be ingenious.

Guide services are available in the Attraction . If you are interested in ancient monuments, it is worth asking a Guide to Guide it here. In addition, there is a row of small shops selling Souvenir at the entrance of the Attraction . The shopkeepers can generally help look after ordinary luggage for a low fee.