Dui Song Mountain

Dui Song Mountain

Dui Song Mountain is located to the north of Chaoyang Cave and is also known as Wan Song Mountain. With two peaks standing opposite each other and tens of thousands of ancient pine trees, lush and densely layered, it is also called Wan Song Mountain or Pine Sea. Clouds emerge from among them, and the mighty mountain winds blow through, with twisting dragon-like pines swaying and producing a majestic rustling sound—truly a spectacular sight.

Li Bai wrote the line “Tall pines reach into the Milky Way, appearing no more than a foot long when viewed from afar,” and Emperor Qianlong praised it as “The finest view of Mount Tai lies here; Dui Song is truly uniquely marvelous.”

At the valley entrance, there are inscriptions such as “Pine Gate,” “Pine Cloud Cliff,” “A Step into the Clouds,” and “Nurturing All Things, Lofty As the Heavens.” Inside the valley, there are carved inscriptions including “Majestic Mountain Scenery” and “Lush Pines in Azure Mist.” On the western cliff, there is a line carving depicting a strong, muscular fist knocking a long-haired mountain demon to the ground, labeled “Forever Dwelling in the Nine Netherworlds.” In front stands the Dui Song Pavilion, perched atop the western cliff on the site of the Ming Dynasty’s Qiankun Tower.

The original mountain path was on the east side of the stream, where there used to be the Sacred Water Bridge. By the end of the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong reign, the path was relocated to the west side of the stream. On the opposite bank of the pavilion, the cliff features large inscriptions such as “Dragon Cave,” “Forest Far from Dust,” “Bright Moon Over Pine Greenery,” “Sound of Waves and Shadows of Clouds,” and “Pine Winds Chilling the Dusty Heart.”

Following a wild trail that winds southeastward from below the cliff, there is a small, exquisite Red Temple built during the Qing Dynasty’s Daoguang era. Suspended atop a perilous cliff above a deep ravine, it is called Mengxian Shrine. From Dui Song Mountain to this peak, the terrain grows steeper, the pines denser, and the scenery more spectacular. During the Republican era, Ren Kepu composed a poem on the western cliff: “The towering presence heralds the opening of Mount Tai; among the Five Great Mountains, it stands truly majestic. Its momentum connects to the ocean, hiding rain and dew; its form links to the heavens, giving rise to wind and thunder. Thousands of clusters of trees with dragon-scale beauty; ten-thousand-foot-high cliffs like a tiger lying in wait. Leaning on my staff, I revisit to take in the view, lingering without desire to seek Penglai.”

Chaoyang Cave is located northwest of Wusong Pavilion. It is a natural rock cave, named for its entrance facing the sun. It was formerly called Yingyang Cave and was renamed to its current name in the Ming Dynasty. The cave is as deep as a room and can accommodate over 20 people. Originally, a statue of the Yuanjun deity was enshrined inside the cave. The exterior of the cave is spacious, with ancient pines standing elegantly and the site bordering a steep ravine to the east. On the northeast cliff face, there is an inscription of Emperor Qianlong’s “Chaoyang Cave Poem.” The stele is 20 meters high and 9 meters wide, with characters one square meter in size. It is called the “Ten-Thousand-Zhang Stele” or also known as the “Qing Cliff Inscription.”

Attraction Location

North of Chaoyang Cave, Mount Tai, Tai’an, Shandong Province