1.MountTaiScenicAreaMountTaiisamountainofunparalleledhistoricalandculturalsignificancelocatednorthofthecityofTai’an,inShandongprovince.RisingabruptlyfromthevastplainofcentralShandong,themountain’speak,JadeEmperor(alsocalledthePeakofShandong)reaches5,069feet.Asoneofthe“FiveGreatMountains”(theFiveGreatMountainsbeingMountTai,MountHua,MountHeng,MountHeng,andMountSong),MountTaiisassociatedwithsunrise,birth,andrenewal,andisoftenregardedastheforemostofthefivepeaks.MajesticMountTaihasbeenaholyplaceofworshipforover3,000yearsandservesasoneofthemostimportantceremoniallocationsofChina.Accordingtohistoricalrecords,MountTaiearneditsreputationasasacredplaceduringtheZhouDynastypriorto1000BCwhenitwasvisitedbyemperorswhocametooffersacrificesandmeditate.Acrossthecenturies,atotalof72emperorshavemadethepilgrimagetoMountTai.Geologically,itisatiltedfault-blockmountain,highertothesouththannorth,andistheoldestandmostimportantexampleofthepaleo-metamorphicsystemrepresentativeoftheCambrianPeriodineasternChina.BesidestheJadeEmperorPeak,otherdistinctiverockformationsaretheHeavenCandlePeak,theFanCliff,andtheRearRockBasin.Over200speciesofanimalsand122speciesofbirdsinhabitthisgreatmountainlandscape.Thelarge-scaledfish,VaricorhinusMacrolepis,isfoundinthecoolrunningwater.ConsideredadelicacyintheQingDynasty(1644-1912),itisoneofthefivemostfamousediblefishesinChina.MountTaiwaslistedintheWorldHeritageListbyUNESCOin1987.Location:HongmenRoad,No.45,Tai’anPhone:+860538-8066114Hours:Winter8:30am-5:00pmSummer8:30am-6:00pm2.ThreeConfuciusSitesConfuciusisworldrenownedasaneducator,philosopherandpolitician,andwasthefounderofConfuciusTheorywhichhashadaprofoundimpactonEastAsianculture.Hishometown,Qufu,istheholygrailofpilgrimagedestinationsforthosewhowishtostudyhisteachings.Therearethreeessentialhistoricalsitesthatrelatetohislife–theTempleofConfucius,theCemeteryofConfucius,andtheKongFamilyMansion.Together,thesethreelocationshavebeenlistedasaUNESCOWorldHeritageSitesince1994.TempleofConfucius:ThisbuildingwasthefirsttemplebuilttoworshipConfuciusandConfucianism.Sinceitsconstruction,numerousothertempleshavebeenbuilttohonorConfuciusacrossChinaandaroundtheworld.Thisgroupofbuildingsistheonlyvenuetoattainthelofty“emperor’sbuilding”distinction,havingbeenconstructedtohonorapersonageotherthananemperor.TheTempleofConfuciusisstructurallyreminiscentoftheForbiddenCityinBeijingandprovidestheblueprintfortheInternationalConfuciusTemple.CemeteryofConfucius:ThissiteisthefinalrestingplaceofConfucius,hisdescendants,andinnumerabledisciples.Afterhepassedaway,hisstudentsfilledtheareawithtoweringtreestohonorhim,givingthecemeterytheappearanceofagardenorasmallforest.ThissitealsocontainsthousandsoftombstonesinscribedwithtraditionalChinesecalligraphy.KongFamilyMansion:ThismansionisanenormousbuildingwheredescendantsofConfuciuslivedforhundredsofyears.Astheso-called“firstfamilyofChina”,theKongfamilywasincontrolofthelargestprivateruralestateinChina.TheywereknownasthemostprestigiousfamilyoutsideoftheroyaltyinChina.Thefamilywouldalsoconductelaboratereligiousceremoniesatthemansiontocommemorateandblessplantings,harvests,birthdaysandthedead.Phone:+860537-4414789Hours:7:30am-4:30pm3.JinanBaotuSpringPublicParkExplorethebeautifulBaotuSpringPark,locatedinthecenterofJinanCity.BaotuSpringisrenownedasthebestofthe72springsinJinan,andisthefirstspringspecificallyreferencedinChineseliteratureSpringandAutumnAnnals(722-481BC).Itwasdeclaredtobethe“NumberOneSpring”bytheEmperorofQingDynasty,QianlongafterhesampledthespringwaterduringhisvisittoJinan.VisitBaotutoexperiencethebeautyandmagnificenceofnatureunleashed.Location:BaotuSpringSouthRoad1Phone:+860531-86920439Hours:Apr.10-Oct.9—7:00am-10:00pmOct.10-Apr.9—7:00am-9:00pm4.QingdaoMountLaoScenicAreaMountLao,orLaoshan,isafamousmountaininQingdaoLaoshanNationalPark.Itliesabout19mileseastofdowntownQingdao,andisthehighestcoastalmountaininChina.CountlessstoriestellthetaleofthefirstChineseemperor(221-210BC),QinShihuang,visitingMountLaoinsearchofGod.AsamountainsignificanttothereligionofTaosim,thousandsofdevotedTaoistshavelivedandpracticedtheirreligiononthemountainoverthemillennia.Throughoutitslongandstoriedhistory,MountLaohasbeenbelievedtobethehomeoftheimmortalswhereTaoistritesareperformed,andisalsothehometotheforemostmonasteryoftheQuanzhenTaoSectofTaoism.(QuanzhenwasfoundedbyTaoistWangChongyanginthe12thcenturyanditscorebeliefis“actionthroughinaction.)Experiencetheholypeaceatsacredsitesacrossthemountain,suchasTaiqingPalace,ShangqingPalace,MingxiaCave,TaipingPalace,andHualouPalace.MountLaofeaturessoaringpeaks,greenpineandcypresstrees,hangingwaterfalls,tumblingstreams,andmajesticboulders.DuetoitslocationdirectlynexttotheYellowSea,MountLaohasaspecialclimate(mildallyear,notfreezingcoldinthewinter,norhotinthesummer),abundantvegetationandraretreespecies.EveryvisitortoShandongshouldexperiencethebeautyandholinessofMountLao.Location:BaotuSpringSouthRoad1Phone:+860532-88899000Hours: