Huting Pavilion

Huting Pavilion

Huting Pavilion is a cultural tourism attraction.

Huting Pavilion is located below Huimaling on the central route of Mount Tai. During the Ming Dynasty's Jiajing era, it was called Shengxian Pavilion. In the 12th year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign, it was expanded and renamed Huting Pavilion, derived from Taoist terminology where “Huting” refers to a celestial realm. It was rebuilt in 1979. The pavilion spans the mountain path and is built in the style of a city gate tower. Above the arched gateway is a stone plaque inscribed with “Huting Pavilion,” which was written by Emperor Qianlong during his visit to Mount Tai.

Huting Pavilion is situated north of Doumu Palace. Originally built during the Ming Dynasty, it was first named Shengxian Pavilion. In the 12th year of the Qing Dynasty's Qianlong reign (1747), it was expanded and renamed to its current name, derived from the Taoist concept of “Huting” as a heavenly realm. During the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty, Cui Yingchen composed a couplet: “Within Huting’s sun and moon, a spiritual realm unfolds; along the winding path, wind and clouds enter the emerald haze.” Another couplet was inscribed by Ting Lu, the magistrate of Tai’an during the Jiaqing era: “Climbing halfway up this mountain, you’ve already reached Huting; ascending to the summit, countless blessed lands still await.” Twin cypresses grow horizontally across the arched gateway, twisting upward in a magnificent sight.

Northwest of Huting Pavilion is the Huimaling Archway. At this point on Mount Tai, the mountain becomes steep and the path twists sharply—so treacherous that horses could go no further, hence the name. Behind the Huimaling Archway lies Mati Pan (Horse Hoof Turn), named for the path’s steep, precarious curves that resemble a horse’s hoof, winding southeast and then turning northwest.

Huting Pavilion spans the mountain path and is built in the style of a city gate tower. The lower section is constructed from stone, made up of 12 layers of stone slabs, spanning 14.5 meters east to west and standing 4.75 meters high. The arched gateway spans the path, with a height of 3.1 meters, width of 3.5 meters, and total depth of 7.95 meters, of which the 2.4-meter northern section was added later. The arch springs are adorned with lotus-patterned stone blocks, and stone steps on the east and west sides lead to the upper level. Above the platform stands a three-bay hall, 10 meters wide, 5.4 meters deep, and 5.9 meters tall, supported by three pillars and five beams, with a seven-rafter front corridor design. The structure uses double-beam construction and features a yellow-glazed tile roof with nine ridges in the hip-and-gable style. The column bases are inverted basin-shaped, while the columns, beams, eaves, and interlocking bricks are all precast concrete. The central bay has a door with four-panel latticed doors, the side bays have windows with four-panel lattices, and above them are transom windows (with upper light panels). The central bay has an arched door at the back, and each of the side bays has an arched window at the rear.

Above the gateway is the Sanqing Hall, rebuilt in 1993. The hall enshrines three Taoist deities: Yuanshi Tianzun, the foremost deity in Taoism, who holds a symbolic rod in his right hand and appears to pinch something in his left, representing the formless state of the primordial chaos; Lingbao Tianzun, holding a yin-yang mirror half black and half white, symbolizing the transition from chaos to the taiji; and Daode Tianzun, holding a yin-yang fish fan, symbolizing the emergence of the two forms from the taiji. This depicts the Taoist cosmological evolution.

To the north of the pavilion are three halls of Yuanjun (the Goddess). Inside is a bronze statue of the Goddess, situated on a 0.8-meter-high platform, facing south. The structure is 11.5 meters wide, 7.2 meters deep, and 7.46 meters tall, supported by four pillars and five beams, with a seven-rafter front and rear corridor design. The central bay’s columns rest on stone drum bases, while the front and rear eave columns sit on inverted lotus-shaped bases. The roof is covered with tube tiles in a five-ridged flush gable style, with ink-dot gold decorations on the eave purlins and lintels. The central bay has a door with four-panel latticed windows; the side bays have four-panel latticed windows. Inside the central bay, a Sumeru pedestal shrine holds the bronze seated statue of the Goddess.

Location

Inside Mount Tai Scenic Area, Tai’an District, Tai’an City, Shandong Province – head north from Doumu Palace to arrive