Dai Zong Archway

Dai Zong Archway

Built on a stone platform, the four-pillar, three-bay Dai Zong Archway is a rugged and simple stone structure, with its plaque inscribed in seal script with the golden characters "Dai Zong Archway," serving as a symbolic landmark. It was renovated in the eighth year of the Yongzheng reign during the Qing Dynasty (1730). In front of the archway stand the “Imperial Edict Stele for the Renovation of Mount Tai” and the “Mount Tai Record Stele” from the ninth year of the Yongzheng reign (1731), flanking either side.

The Dai Zong Archway is an ancient four-pillar, three-bay memorial archway rich in beautiful legends. It was first built during the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty. Constructed on a stone platform in a four-pillar, three-bay style, its plaque was inscribed by Ding Zaobao in seal script during the Yongzheng reign renovation.

In front of the archway stand the “Imperial Edict Stele for the Renovation of Mount Tai” and the “Mount Tai Record Stele” from the ninth year of the Yongzheng reign (1731), flanking either side.

To the east of the archway originally stood the Fengdu Temple, built during the Hongzhi reign of the Ming Dynasty, which enshrined the Fengdu Great Emperor along with the Ten Kings of the Underworld. To the north of the archway was the Three Sovereigns Temple, which worshipped Fuxi, Shennong, and the Yellow Emperor, alongside the Eight Sacrificial Deities. Both temples were demolished around the time of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and in 1979, the site was developed into the Tai’an Branch of the China International Travel Service and the Mount Tai Hotel.

To the west of the archway was the Jianfeng Monastery, which was converted into the Shengyuan Taoist Temple during the Song Dynasty’s Zhenghe reign, dedicated to Donghua Dijun, the God of Blessings of Mount Tai. It was demolished during the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong reign and replaced with an imperial lodge. The original lodge was grand in scale, surrounded by lush pines and cypresses, bizarre rocks, and competing streams, but it later fell into disrepair. During the Republican era, the site was frequently used as a military encampment, leading to the demolition of the temple buildings and felling of ancient trees.

To the north are the former sites of the Jade Emperor Pavilion and the White Crane Spring. The pavilion was built during the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty to worship the Jade Emperor. Both the Qianlong imperial lodge and the Jade Emperor Pavilion were destroyed around the time of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and the area now houses the Jinan Military Region Cadres’ Rest Home.

As a sacred mountain that stands above the Five Great Mountains, Mount Tai naturally requires a landmark at the start of the climb to remind visitors they are entering a renowned and hallowed site—encouraging them to focus their vision, clear their minds, and ascend “as if climbing nature” itself.

As the first archway on the climbing route, the aesthetic value of the Dai Zong Archway cannot be appreciated in isolation. The Dai Temple, a place of worship for deities, symbolizes the earthly realm closely tied to daily life, while ascending through Houzai Gate along the mountain path leads to the mystical heavenly paradise. Along this arduous journey from the human world to the divine realm, constructing monumental stone archways not only enhances the rhythm of the climb, shortens the perceived distance between heaven and earth, avoids the sense of remoteness and monotony of “ascending to heaven,” but also continuously inspires climbers, allowing them to sense the sacredness, loftiness, and grandeur of the mountain. As for the Dai Zong Archway itself, its architectural artistry is also quite refined. The round ridge beasts and slightly upturned eaves add a sense of flow and grace to the archway, while the additional stone pillars at the front and rear of the four main columns, together with the backdrop of Mount Tai, lend the structure a strong sense of stability.

Time Needed

0.5 hour

Transportation

Take bus no. 3 in the city to Dai Zong Archway Station

Admission Fee

Free

Opening Hours

Open all day

Location

Beimiao North Street, Tai’an District, Tai’an City, Shandong Province

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