Tianwai Village Tiandi Square

Tianwai Village Tiandi Square

Tianwai Village Square serves as a seamless transition between the city and the mountain, organically connecting the two. It was built following the ancient concept of "round heaven and square earth" and aligns with the auspicious belief in the harmony of "heaven and earth intersecting peacefully."

Tianwai Village is located west of Dazhong Bridge and marks the starting point for the western mountain route. This area is not only where the mountain meets the city but also the convergence point of the mountain loop road and the Xixi Scenic Road, as well as a major hub for tourists.

Since 2000, comprehensive management has been carried out on the Tianwai Village Road, beginning with the construction of the "Round Heaven and Square Earth" Square. "Round Heaven and Square Earth" symbolizes the unity of man and nature. In ancient times, emperors held Fengshan ceremonies atop Mount Tai — setting up a round altar at the summit to pay tribute to heaven, and a square altar at the foot of the mountain to worship the earth, signifying "round heaven and square earth." The square covers a total area of 35,000 square meters and mainly includes a square-shaped plaza and a circular plaza (the square plaza has sides 36 meters long, covering an area of over 1,000 square meters; the circular plaza has a diameter of 108 meters, covering an area of over 10,000 square meters, both paved entirely with Mount Tai granite). Along the connecting passage between the two plazas, 12 dragon pillars, each 7.2 meters high and 0.9 meters in diameter, were installed to represent the 12 emperors from Qin Shi Huang to Emperor Qianlong who made sacrifices to Mount Tai.

A 27-meter-long and 3-meter-wide relief depicting Emperor Xuanzong of Tang’s Fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai is placed in the center of the connecting passage.

The surrounding panels of the square plaza are inscribed with famous quotes about Mount Tai by historical figures, and the square and its surroundings have been landscaped.

Six ticket booths have been built within the circular plaza, equipped with an access control system and a card-swipe ticket-checking mechanism to facilitate orderly boarding. The inner ring serves as a driveway, capable of parking 12 tour buses simultaneously and dispatching over 8,000 visitors per hour, meeting the transportation needs of tourists during peak seasons.

After the square was completed, Tianwai Village became not only a model scenic area integrating multiple functions such as traffic organization, information display, ticket sales and checking, tourist shopping, and landscape aesthetics, but also a vital transportation hub connecting the scenic area with the city through its linkage with surrounding roads.

Attraction Location

Tianwai Village, Mouth of Xixi Valley, Mount Tai, Tai’an, Shandong Province