Mount Tai 泰山
东方是太阳出升的地方，古人即认为是万物交替、初春发生之地。因此，东方就成了生命之源，而古代先民又往往把雄伟奇特的东岳视为神灵，把山神作为祈求风调雨顺的对象来崇拜，于是，地处东方的泰山--这个通天拔地的庞然大物便成了“万物孕育之所”的“吉祥之山”、“神灵之宅”了。受天命而帝王的“天子”更把泰山看成是国家统一，权力的象征。为答谢天帝的“授命”之恩，也必到泰山封神祭祀。Ladies and gentlemen, I‟m very pleased to take you to hike in Mount Taishan.When we are hiking, I‟d like to give a little background of Mount Tai.With a height of only 1,545 meters, Mount Taishan is not the highest mountain, but it is the most famous one among five sacred mountains in China.Why is that? Let me tell you about it.Mount Tai is located in the east of China.And ancient Chinese people believed that the east is where the sun rise.It is the origin of life.Moreover Ancient Chinese people considered the grand mountain as the god that can bring favorable weather and bumper harvest.As a matter of course, （理所当然的）grand Mount Tai is regarded as a holy mountain.Since the Qin Dynasty, Mount Taishan became the holy mountain where emperors used to offer sacrifices to Heaven and Earth..72 emperors had come here to worship Heaven and Earth Among them are the first Chinese Emperor Qin Shihuang, Emperor Wu Di of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Xuan Zong of Tang Dynasty and Emperor Qian Long of Qing Dynasty.Many famous poets, such as Li Bai and Du Fu also left inscriptions and steles here, it gains the reputation as „a Natural Museum of History and Art‟.In China, we often praise a person‟s devotion to his country.Ladies and gentleman, the temple in front of us is the most famous temple on Mount Taishan—the Dai Temple.It is the first stop for pilgrims on their way to the holy mountain.The original temple was first built during the Qin Dynasty.It is the largest ancient building complex on Mount Taishan.Watching from far you may feel its magnificence.Looking closer, you will be shocked by its delicacy.Ok let get a move on.Now we have come to the Mid-heaven Gate.This site is only 847 meters high, but it is very important because you can get a fantastic view of the mountain.Look , on the east lies the pretty Mid-stream Mountain; on the west is the wandering Phoenix Valley ; on the south is the misty Wen River and on the north is the cloud ladder on the top of Mount Taishan.It is a fantastic view, is it.? Ok ,let‟s go on.Everybody, now we‟re walking on the Eighteen Bends.（十八盘）In fact, there are 1633 steps along the route.It is a long and hard journey.Look up at the route, and it would appear to be almost 400 meters up vertically with 1kilometer long.You need to be extra carefully when you climb the steps.At last, we arrive at the Jade Emperor Summit（玉皇顶）, the highest peak of Mount Taishan.You can enjoy the beauty of sunrise in the morning in the east pavilion and the golden belts of the Yellow River in the west pavilion..Standing here you may feel the world appears smaller and all the peaks are dwarfs under your feet .isn‟t it?, All right, dear friends our sightseeing in Mount Tai is drawing to a close.Hope you have enjoyed it.Thank you！
