Yao Guanding

Yao Guanding

There are two Yao Guanding peaks at the North Heavenly Gate of Mount Tai: East Yao Guanding and West Yao Guanding. Legend has it that Emperor Yao from ancient times once came here, watching the sunrise from East Yao Guanding and the sunset from West Yao Guanding — both experiences were said to be very pleasant.

When you climb up to Yao Guanding and look into the distance, the mountaintop is covered in a purple sky while the sun is still asleep. Before the sun appears on the horizon, looking around, the sky is a silvery-gray dome, with blue bands to the southwest and north surrounding the land beyond the east — the only place where the sun rises, though not always from the same spot.

Looking eastward, the mountains before your eyes, crouching low yet straining their necks and raising their shoulders, still feel as if they are beneath your feet when viewed from Yao Guanding on Mount Tai.

White clouds, green trees, gray rocks, crimson glow, distant blue bands, and the hazy gray sky before dawn. Remember Du Fu’s famous line: “I must ascend the mountain’s crest; it dwarfs all peaks under my feet.” At sunset, climbing up to West Yao Guanding and looking westward, layers of red clouds gather in varying intensities toward the setting sun. The fiery sun, having burned brightly all day, seems weary — slightly less dazzling than the sunrise, but still magnificent.

That's because there is still light on the earth, which sets off the sunset, making the red clouds appear especially radiant. As the sun gradually sinks behind the western mountains, the land darkens, and the sky suddenly turns gloomy, as if announcing daytime has ended in an instant.

One of the scenic spots on Mount Tai. Descend northward along the slope from Zhanger Peak to a mountain hollow where there is a stone memorial archway, originally inscribed with “Yuanwu,” which collapsed in the late Qing Dynasty.

Rebuilt in 1984, it is a single-entrance, two-pillar stone archway inscribed with “North Heavenly Gate.” It is the essential route from the summit of Mount Tai to Houshiwu. To the north of the archway is Moyun Ridge. Going east down the slope from in front of the archway to the spoon-shaped valley leads to “Rubble Gully.” Crossing the gully takes you to Duzupan, and further ahead you can reach various scenic spots in Houshiwu.