According to the Management Committee of Mount Tai Scenic Area in Shandong, the scenic area has officially issued the "Announcement on Strengthening the Management of Outdoor Camping to Ensure Tourism Safety." For the first time, it explicitly states that during major holiday periods with high tourist traffic—such as Qingming Festival, Labor Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and National Day—camping tents are not allowed in crowded areas at the summit of Mount Tai. As for other times, the scenic area’s stance is not to prohibit but also not to encourage camping.
According to staff from the Management Committee of Mount Tai Scenic Area in Shandong, Mount Tai is a 24-hour open scenic tourist area. Core sightseeing areas such as the summit and Zhongtianmen attract concentrated tourist crowds. Setting up centralized outdoor camping facilities like tents can easily pose safety hazards to tourists’ personal safety, property safety, forest fire prevention, heritage resource protection, and overall tourism safety. To ensure visitor safety and maintain normal management order, based on regulations such as the Tourism Law and the Forest Fire Prevention Regulations, the scenic area has ultimately decided to prohibit outdoor camping during major holidays.
According to the announcement, all operating service units and vendors within the Mount Tai scenic area must conduct business within the approved scope and are not allowed to sell or rent out outdoor camping equipment and supplies such as tents beyond the permitted range. Violators will be strictly penalized by administrative law enforcement and industrial-commercial authorities in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.
In addition, the announcement specifically states that tents must not be set up near cultural relics, ancient buildings, safety passages, or rescue routes. During major holiday periods with high tourist traffic—such as Qingming Festival, Labor Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and National Day—camping tents are not allowed in crowded areas at the summit. Management and enforcement departments within the scenic area will stop and prohibit any unauthorized tent camping, as well as behaviors that affect passage, fire safety, and more. Those whose violations damage the safety, order, environment, resources, or landscape of the scenic area will be investigated and dealt with by administrative authorities according to relevant regulations. If safety accidents or serious consequences occur, legal liabilities will be pursued.
Yesterday, reporters interviewed the Management Committee of Mount Tai Scenic Area and learned that currently, the scenic area is mainly cracking down on unauthorized camping during major holiday periods with high tourist traffic. However, during non-holiday times, the approach remains advocacy-based—"not mandatory." At the same time, the scenic area calls on tourists to enhance their awareness of civilized and safe travel, consciously comply with scenic area management regulations, and jointly maintain good tourism order and an optimal environment.
Official Response
The scenic area once considered creating a camping zone at the summit, but finding a suitable spot proved difficult
A series of management challenges arising from tourists camping at the summit has also been a headache for staff at Mount Tai Scenic Area. Reporters learned that the scenic area had once considered designating a safe area at the summit to properly channel campers, but given the current practical situation, finding such a place is genuinely not easy.
It is understood that with the rise of outdoor tourism in recent years, the issue of tourists setting up tents in scenic areas is not unique to Mount Tai—it is also faced by many other scenic spots across the country. On one hand are the practical management and safety challenges for the scenic areas, and on the other is the new demand from tourists. As managers of Mount Tai Scenic Area, they have put quite a bit of thought into this. "We did consider finding a flat and safe area at the summit to set up a camping zone, but the current challenge is that due to the limited area and layout at the top of Mount Tai, it’s genuinely hard to find such a spot. Although there are small open spaces that could accommodate twenty or thirty tents, it’s far from meeting the demand."
Yesterday, staff from the Management Committee of Mount Tai Scenic Area said in an interview that the scenic area is currently humbly accepting suggestions and opinions from all sectors of society and hopes to come up with a good solution.
Reporter Investigation
Tents at the summit squeeze into every nook—"It’s ultimately because accommodation is too expensive"
The previous proposal by Mount Tai Scenic Area to prohibit tourists from setting up tents indiscriminately has drawn widespread attention. Yesterday, our reporter visited the summit of Mount Tai in the early hours of the morning and found that due to a lack of guidance and management, the phenomenon of tourists setting up makeshift camps is prominent. Some even pitch their tents directly near cultural relics and ancient structures such as Nantianmen. This report was written by reporter Li Shiwu, photos by reporter Liu Chang.
Groups of campers cluster under Nantianmen, with many tents right next to cultural relics
Yesterday in the early hours, reporters investigating along the mountaineering path to the summit found that the main areas where tourists choose to camp are concentrated around the ancient buildings at the top of Mount Tai.
Around 2 a.m., as reporters climbed along the path to Nantianmen, they spotted seven or eight tents pitched in the passageway on the right side of Nantianmen. These were mostly double tents, with about fourteen or fifteen campers in total.
Due to the strong mountain winds at the summit in the early hours, campers mostly chose areas near the corners of the ancient Nantianmen walls or passageways. Since campers often group by family or friends, some larger tents pitched in the Nantianmen passageways occasionally affected other visitors’ tours due to their size.
During interviews around Nantianmen, reporters found that to avoid the mountain winds, many campers set up their tents right next to the corners of ancient buildings or behind stone tablets.
Beneath a stone tablet at a nearby temple by Nantianmen, some campers chose to set up under the back of the tablet. Reporters noticed that the tent frames were made of metal poles, and as the mountain wind caused the tent to sway, the metal poles occasionally scraped against the stone tablet. Over time, this could cause wear to the tablet.
In addition, as some tents require nails to be driven into the ground for setup, some uncivilized campers have directly hammered nails into the corners of ancient structures or into crevices in the rocks, posing certain risks to the cultural relics. Meanwhile, the litter generated by campers is discarded and piled up indiscriminately—phenomena that clash with the beautiful scenery of Mount Tai. Camping near cliff edges also poses numerous safety hazards
Yesterday in the early hours, reporters also discovered two groups of tents pitched at the edge of a cliff along the path to Jade Emperor Summit, causing concern for the campers’ safety. Reporters noted that the reason campers chose the cliff edge was mainly due to a naturally formed wind-sheltered recess at the foot of the cliff. Although the winds were somewhat weaker here, the cliff was rugged, and stronger gusts could even blow down thicker dead branches from above, making it quite dangerous. "Some tourists even set up tents on remote, unvisited mountain paths just to watch the sunrise. These places have no lighting at night, few people pass by, and if a robbery or other dangerous situation occurs, help might not arrive in time," said a restaurant owner operating on the mountain, adding that thefts among campers had occurred during past tourist peaks.
Summit hotel rooms cost 500–600 yuan; most campers are students
"The five of us are students from Jinan. We came to Mount Tai to watch the sunrise. We’d heard from classmates that accommodation at the summit is insanely expensive, so we ultimately decided to bring our own tents to camp. It saves money and lets us experience the fun of outdoor survival."
Yesterday, several student campers from a university in the provincial capital told reporters that their decision to camp on the summit ultimately boiled down to the high cost of accommodation. This sentiment is shared by most campers.
Reporters visiting hotels and guesthouses clustered around Jade Emperor Summit and Tianjie found that accommodation prices here are indeed a bit hard for ordinary citizens to accept. Most small inns quote around 400 yuan for a double room, and the conditions inside are average. In Tai’an City at the foot of the mountain, such double rooms in small inns generally cost no more than 100 yuan.
Moreover, at several higher-end "star-rated" hotels at the summit, the price of standard rooms is several times higher than at the mountain’s base. Some rooms with good views, especially those that can see the sunrise, cost over 1,000 yuan per night. Even regular rooms are generally priced around 500–600 yuan.
Reporters found yesterday that due to the unaffordable accommodation prices at the summit, apart from some tourists who camp in tents, most overnight visitors have no choice but to rent a military-style overcoat for ten yuan, wrap themselves up tightly, and endure the long night.