Experience the best of Tai'an

Tai'an grew up at the southern foot of Mount Tai, which rises 1,545 metres above the Shandong plain. Emperors came here to make offerings to heaven, and the mountain, with its stairways, temples, pines and carved inscriptions, was inscribed by UNESCO in 1987 for both its culture and its nature. The Dai Temple, a walled complex of halls at the base, is where rulers prepared before the climb.

The stone steps lead to the Southern Gate to Heaven near the summit, and many people go up to watch the sunrise, while a cable car runs part of the way. Qufu, the birthplace of Confucius, lies to the south, and Jinan, the provincial capital, to the north. Shandong's flat farmland spreads around the foot of the mountain.

Shandong food is plain and filling, built on wheat: steamed buns, flatbreads and thin pancakes rolled around raw scallion. Clear autumn days give the best views from the top, and the summit is much colder than the town below, even in summer.