The Four Great Wonders of Mount Tai

The four great natural wonders of Mount Tai are world-famous. When you come here and immerse yourself in these marvelous scenes, you will surely gain unique spiritual insights.

There are two versions of the four wonders. The widely accepted version includes: Sunrise over Mount Tai, the Jade-Plate Sea of Clouds, Sunset Glow, and the Golden Belt of the Yellow River. The other version lists: The Rising Sun, Sunset Glow, the Buddha Light of Mount Tai, and the Jade-Plate Sea of Clouds.

Spectacular and soul-stirring, the sunrise is one of the top wonders on the summit and a landmark symbol of Mount Tai.

The first ray of sunlight pierces the predawn darkness. The eastern sky gradually turns from pitch black to fish-belly white, then crimson, and finally dazzling golden yellow, bursting with thousands of streaks of rosy glow. At last, a fiery red sun leaps above the horizon and rises slowly into the sky.

The whole process unfolds just like a master magician performing countless brilliant illusions in the blink of an eye, leaving all viewers utterly amazed. Watching sunrise from the summit has long been a dream for tourists and an endless source of inspiration for poets and scholars throughout history.

Rime and glaze ice form unique natural scenes exclusive to Mount Tai.

Rime is neither pure frost nor solid ice. It blooms facing the wind in countless varied shapes. Pine boughs and thickets are covered with fluffy icicles, just like huge white corals. Palaces and pavilions are wrapped in soft mist, and the land is covered with a pure white felt blanket.

Glaze ice forms transparent crystal layers covering rocks, ground, rooftops and trees, turning everything into a glittering frozen world in an instant.

The Buddha Light is another marvelous sight on the mountain top. On misty early mornings or dusks, if visitors stand on a high ridge and look toward the sunlight, they may spot a colourful halo on the hazy mist: blue on the inside and red on the outside. The silhouette of the whole body or head is framed inside the ring, which closely resembles the colourful aureole above a Buddha’s head. Hence the name "Buddha Light" or "Precious Light".

This phenomenon is caused by light diffraction and only appears under specific conditions. According to records, Buddha Light mostly occurs between June and August on partly cloudy and misty days when the sun shines obliquely.

It is another stunning view atop the peak. In summer, shortly after rainfall stops, massive water vapour rises upward. Meanwhile, warm moist sea air is trapped by high-pressure airflow at an altitude of around 1,500 metres. If there is no wind, vast white clouds spread flat across thousands of miles like a huge jade plate hanging between heaven and earth.

Distant mountain ranges are swallowed up by mist, with only a few peaks sticking out above the cloud sea. Tourists walking amid clouds feel as if they have stepped into a fairyland beyond the mortal world.

When a light breeze blows, ripples roll across the cloud sea, and mountain peaks appear and disappear like elusive fairy islets. When strong winds rise, the jade plate turns into a giant dragon soaring up and down, churning the clouds into raging waves.

When the weather is clear after rain and the sun sinks toward the west, you can gaze far to the northwest of Mount Tai. At the end of rolling mountain ridges, the Yellow River shimmers like a golden ribbon. Sometimes the river light reflects into the sky and forms a mirage. Both scenes are known as the Golden Belt of the Yellow River.

Glittering with silvery and golden ripples, the river stretches from southwest to northeast all the way to the horizon, looking as if paved with gold and silver. Yuan Mei, a poet of the Qing Dynasty, depicted this view vividly in his Poem on Climbing Mount Tai: "A yellow river winds like a silk sash, breaking through the mortal world to connect with the Milky Way."

The appearance of Sunset Glow and the Golden Belt largely depends on seasons and weather. Autumn is the best visiting season, with mild sunshine, clear skies and thin clouds. The second best time is right after heavy rains, with scattered clouds, fresh clean air and dust-free landscapes of green mountains and clear waters. You can enjoy the breathtaking charm of the motherland’s magnificent rivers and mountains to your heart’s content.