Feicheng Peaches, Mount Tai Chestnuts and Ningyang Jujubes are collectively known as the Three Great Specialties of Tai'an. In addition, Mount Tai Walnuts, large-fruited Mount Tai Hawthorns, Mount Tai Red Jade Apricots, Mount Tai Beauty Pears (commonly known as small white pears), Sancha Red Star Apples, staghorn seaweed, and the red-scale fish, one of the Eight Treasures of China, also enjoy a solid reputation. There are two main shopping areas for tourists: downtown Tai'an and the mountainous zone of Mount Tai.
Recommended Local Products of Tai'an
Four Treasures of Mount Tai
Peach wood carvings of Mount Tai, Mount Tai brand cigarettes, inkstone-carved Stone Warriors of Mount Tai, and Mount Tai tea are called the Four Treasures of Tai'an.
Three Delicacies of Tai'an
Three Delicacies Tofu is a signature local dish. Chinese cabbage, tofu and spring water from Mount Tai have long been celebrated as the Three Delicacies of Tai'an.
Tai'an-grown Chinese cabbage is big and compact with tender fibre-free flesh. Local tofu is made from finely ground pure soybean milk, fresh and tender without turning tough. Spring water from Mount Tai is sweet and crisp with very little impurities.
The Three Delicacies Tofu Restaurant is famous for authentic dishes cooked with these three ingredients.
Tofu was originally a staple home dish for farmers in Tai'an. As emperors of successive dynasties came to worship Mount Tai, numerous temples and nunneries were built. With more people adhering to vegetarian diets, tofu developed into a top-class delicacy in Tai'an and the Mount Tai region well before the Yuan Dynasty.
The revised Tai'an County Chronicles compiled during the Qianlong reign records: "Dawn watchmen beat wooden clogs along every street; every household smells of tofu at dusk. Tofu workshops thrive all across the city." This vividly depicts the prosperous tofu industry in ancient Tai'an.
After Li Bai moved from Anlu of Hubei to Jinan in the 24th year of the Kaiyuan reign of the Tang Dynasty (736 AD), and while Du Fu stayed in Shandong, both poets climbed Mount Tai many times and tasted the Three Delicacies dishes.
A popular local saying goes: "A trip to Mount Tai is incomplete without tasting the Three Delicacies." The Three Delicacies Tofu dish has been passed down through generations and is renowned at home and abroad.
Five Sacred Mountains True Form Teapots
This set includes five teapots with distinct shapes, each engraved with the authentic symbolic pattern representing one of China's Five Great Mountains. A full set of five generally costs more than 1,000 yuan.
Jujube Wood Writing Brush Pot
Crafted from century-old jujube wood, this brush pot retains its natural primitive state without paint or chemical treatment. It is highly polished, eco-friendly and elegantly shaped.
Jujube wood is hard and dense, creating a solid tactile feel. Elaborate carvings of nine dragons and jujube fruits are vivid and lifelike, perfectly capturing the artistic charm of the motifs.
Stable in texture, jujube wood resists deformation and cracking over the years, making the brush pot ideal for collection. Its exterior design won the Gold Award in the Tai'an Tourism Commodity Competition.
Qian Tang Xuan Live Ceramic Tea Set
The set includes one teapot, six teacups plus a fairness pitcher.
The live ceramic can purify water by removing impurities and eliminating the smell of chlorine while raising oxygen content to deliver a sweeter taste. Negative ions bind with bacteria and mildew in the water to inhibit microbial growth. It also helps boost human metabolism and improve physical health.
|