Laoshan Mountain, the main mountain range of the Shandong Peninsula, boasts its highest peak, Laoding, at an elevation of 1,132.7 meters. As the tallest peak along China's coastline, it is hailed as the "No.1 Famous Mountain on the Sea." Towering over the Yellow Sea, it stands grand and majestic. A local ancient saying goes: "Though Mount Tai's clouds reach high, they cannot match Laoshan of the East China Sea."
Laoshan is also a renowned Taoist mountain in China. At its peak, it housed "Nine Palaces, Eight Temples, and Seventy-Two Nunneries," with over a thousand Taoists practicing here. Famous Taoist figures like Qiu Chuji and Zhang Sanfeng once cultivated themselves here. Most of the original Taoist temples have been destroyed, and the best-preserved one, in terms of scale and history, is Taiqing Palace.
【Famous Taoist Attractions】
Taiqing Palace
Also known as the Lower Palace, Taiqing Palace was first built in the 1st year of Jianyuan in the Han Dynasty (140 BCE). Located at the foot of Laojun Peak on the southern slope of Laoshan, it faces Taiqing Bay to the front and is backed by seven peaks. As the ancestral court of Laoshan Taoism and the largest Taoist temple on the mountain, it is regarded as the second most important monastery of the Quanzhen School.
Covering an area of 30,000 square meters with a construction area of about 2,500 square meters, the palace consists of over 150 rooms divided into three independent courtyards:
The southeast courtyard is the Sanguan Hall. In the courtyard in front of the hall, there are two camellia trees with trunks thick enough to be embraced by two people, said to have been transplanted by Taoist Zhang Sanfeng from an island during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty (1403–1424). InStrange Stories from a Chinese Studio, Pu Songling described "Xiangyu" (Fragrant Jade) and "Jiangxue" (Crimson Snow) as the incarnations of a red peony and a white camellia in this courtyard.
The middle courtyard is the Sanqing Hall.
The west courtyard is the Sanhuang Hall.
Shangqing Palace
Shangqing Palace, also known as the Upper Palace, is one of the main Taoist temples in Laoshan. According toYunji Qiqian(Seven Slips from the Clouds), "The Heavenly Realm of Shangqing lies beyond the glowing clouds, where the Eight Imperial Lords and the Immortals of the Nine Heavens reside in Shangqing Palace." It is abbreviated as "Upper Palace" for its symmetry with Taiqing Palace (Lower Palace).
✨ Recommended Taoist Talismans
Discover powerful talismans for your spiritual journey
Located in the southeast of Laoshan, northwest of Taiqing Palace, the palace was originally built on the mountain and named Laoshan Temple. Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty ordered True Person Huagai Liu Ruozhuo to establish a Taoist sanctuary here, bestowing the name "Shangqing," but it was later destroyed by flash floods. It was rebuilt in the 1st year of Dade in the Yuan Dynasty (1297) by Master Lizhi Ming of the Tongxuan School, and underwent renovations in the Ming and Qing dynasties.
The palace has two front and rear courtyards and side courtyards. The former hall used to enshrine the Sanqing (Three Pure Ones), the rear hall the Jade Emperor, the left side hall the Sanguan (Three Officials), and the right side hall the Seven Perfect Ones. Though small in scale and dilapidated due to age, with many pavilions and towers damaged, it boasts several historic sites:
A thousand-year-old ginkgo tree east of the palace, with three rare breast-shaped burls on its sturdy, horizontally extending branches.
A small cave named Daoshan under a stone in the east courtyard.
A stone wall at the northeast corner inscribed with Qiu Chuji's poemGreen Jade Table(with a preface recording his invited visit to Aoshan).
A huge rock named Aoshan Stone at the northwest corner, with "Aoshan Shangqing Palace" carved horizontally and ten poems by Qiu Chuji during his visit to Laoshan below.
Sacred Water Spring at the foot of Aoshan Stone, another famous spring in Laoshan.
Two small stone bridges west and in front of the palace, named Chaozhen (Paying Homage to Immortals) and Yingxian (Welcoming Immortals).
Mingxia Cave
Mingxia Cave is formed by stacked boulders, with the inscription "Mingxia Cave" on its forehead, written by Qiu Chuji in the 3rd year of Daan in the Jin Dynasty (1211). The Taoist temple to the left of the cave is Doumu Palace of Mingxia Cave, the founding sanctuary of the Quanzhen Jinshan School and the earliest building here. It was expanded in the Ming Dynasty with two new halls, "Sanqing" and "Guanyin," both brick-and-wood structures with gable roofs.
During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty (1736–1795), the west side of Doumu Palace was destroyed by boulders from a flash flood. The reconstructed main hall, called "Jade Emperor Hall," enshrines the Jade Emperor, flanked by the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King and Venus, with the Four Heavenly Kings on the east and west sides.
Hualou Palace
Hualou Palace, located on Hualou Mountain in the north of Laoshan, was founded in the 2nd year of Taiding in the Yuan Dynasty (1325) by Taoist Liu Zhijian and renovated in the Ming, Qing dynasties, and the Republic of China period. Though small and delicate, it houses three halls dedicated to Laojun (Lord Laozi), the Jade Emperor, and Guan Yu.
Nestled against the mountain and facing a valley, the palace contains a stone stele inscribed by Yuan Dynasty scholar Zhao Shiyan. Outside the palace stands the "No.1 Famous Mountain on the Sea" stele. The surrounding scenery, once rated as the "Twelve Scenes of Hualou" by Yuan Dynasty minister Wang Sicheng, includes attractions like Biluo Rock, Jinyequan Spring, Cuiping Rock, Yanzidong Cave, South Heaven Gate, and Juxian Terrace. It is one of the Taoist temples in Laoshan.
Taiping Palace
Originally named Taipingxingguo Courtyard, also known as "Upper Garden," Taiping Palace is situated at the northern foot of Shangyuan Mountain in eastern Laoshan, beside Yangkou Bay. It was built by Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty as a Taoist sanctuary for True Person Huagai Liu Ruozhuo and renovated during the Mingchang period of the Jin Dynasty (1190–1195). The main hall is the Sanqing Hall, with auxiliary halls dedicated to the Sanguan (Three Officials) and Zhenwu (True Martial Lord).
Taoist Wisdom Exploration
☯
Discover Taoist Wisdom
Taoism is China's ancient and only indigenous religion, embodying the principles of "Following Nature's Way" and "Wu Wei" (effortless action). Its ultimate pursuit is achieving immortality through spiritual enlightenment! Exploring Taoist wisdom can bring balance and serenity to modern life, and may even transform your destiny!
Fuqi: Ancient Taoist art of “wearing qi” — breathe with cosmos, transform energy, heal body, calm mind, awaken spirit through rhythmic, mindful respiration.
Fuqi: Ancient Taoist art of “wearing qi” — breathe with cosmos, transform energy, heal body, calm mind, awaken spirit through rhythmic, mindful respiration.
Yin-Yang (陰陽)
The complementary forces that create harmony in the universe. Light and dark, active and passive, masculine and feminine - all interconnected.
Yin-Yang (陰陽)
The complementary forces that create harmony in the universe. Light and dark, active and passive, masculine and feminine - all interconnected.
Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou (543–578), named Yuwen Yong, was a Daoist-leaning ruler who abolished Buddhism twice, viewing it as the root of turmoil since the Eastern Han. He advocated...
Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou (543–578), named Yuwen Yong, was a Daoist-leaning ruler who abolished Buddhism twice, viewing it as the root of turmoil since the Eastern Han. He advocated...
