Dai Temple

Dai Temple is located in Tai'an City. It is the place where the ancient emperors came to worship and pay homage to the god of Taishan. The construction of the temple began during the Qin and Han Dynasties.

As a palace like architecture the temple is grand. There are 8 gates, corner towers and numerous halls.

The main hall is the Hall of Heavenly Blessing which dates back to 1009 AD. The internal walls are decorated with a mural from the Song Dynasty depicting Emperor Zhensong as the god of Taishan. The mural is flaking which makes it hard to discern much. Funnily you need to buy plastic booties to wear over your shoes to enter the hall. The cost of the booties is Y1.

There are several stelaes supported on the back of tortoise like dragons.

In the courtyards there are cypresses supposedly planted by the Han emperor Wudi.

The Yaocan Pavilion contains a hall dedicated to effigies of the Old Mother of Taishan, Bixia and a deity entreated by women who want children.

You could easily spend a day in here exploring all the different corners. You can take the steps to the top of the wall. Something I will do next time.