Text/Photo by Chu Daye                                                                                               Clickto Listen

We have been told to get up at 7:00 am to have breakfast before making an ascent of Mt. Taishan ("Taishan" in Chinese) on the morning of April 19. But to my dismay, a clap of thunder wakes me at 6:30 am. I get up, open the window and discover it is raining cats and dogs outside. If the weather is going to remain like this, then the cable car (my planned way of ascending the mountain) will not run. It would really be a shame to visit Tai'an, the city at the foot of Mt. Taishan (whose name means "safety" or "peace" in Chinese), without attempting the mountain.

We are told to wait and see if the weather will clear up. Half an hour passes. One hour passes... Oh my. We are given permission to visit Dai Temple instead of just loitering about.

We spend the morning poking around Dai Temple in the rain. The weather clears up around noon, so finally we are able to conquer the mountain. As for my visit to Dai Temple and what I saw and did there, that is another story for another day. Now, let me focus on my trip to the top of Mt. Taishan.

Few people actually climb Mt. Tai in its entirety. Most everyone takes a guided minibus tour from Tai'an to a lookout point halfway up the mountain called Zhongtianmen (or "Gate Halfway to Heaven" in Chinese), and begin their hike from there.

These minibuses are easy to find – they line up at the foot of the mountain and make up-and-down (the mountain) trips all day. Just pay the ticket price (about 40 yuan one-way), and get on a bus. Usually the buses won't move until there are 8-10 people on board, so you might have to wait awhile. When you're ready to go back down the mountain, just hop on one of the many minibuses at Zhongtianmen, pay the 40 yuan ticket price and enjoy the ride back down.

I get aboard a bus operated by the Kanghui Travel Agency. Admission to the top half of Mt. Taishan costs 60 yuan per person, and you buy your admission ticket at Zhongtianmen. However, the travel agency has them for purchase on the bus; I figure I will save time in line so I buy one.

I'm very happy with the bus ride. Condition of road: good. Driver's skill: excellent. Tour guide: energetic. Our guide on the bus welcomes us by saying, "Good afternoon lucky ones!" He then explains why we are lucky:

"In Climbing Mt. Tai in the Rain, author Li Jianwu keenly describes the relationship between mountain and water, saying that 'a mountain without water is like a man without eyes, for it lacks an outlet with which to charm.' Today it has been raining all morning and water is plentiful, so you all are really lucky to be able to climb the mountain at such a great time."

I begin to think about the weather on Mt. Taishan. As a man living in a city on a very vast plain, I am very curious as to why weather in mountainous regions can change so quickly. As I wonder, a fierce sun comes out. Inside the bus, girls who fear the windows don't offer enough UV protection begin to put on sunblock.

As the bus snakes swiftly up the winding mountain road, I take in the scenery: mysterious, engaging and refreshing mountain scenes. Down in the valley to our left, several streams meander under forest cover and lichen-blotched rocks. I feel the air in my lungs connected with that valley, that huge oxygen bar. It is bliss to breathe.

Click here to see photo gallery of Mt.Taishan.

Click here to see photo gallery of East China's Shandong Province

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