Luoyang Departure: Mount Tai, Daimiao Temple and the Eighteen Bends, 4 Days 3 Nights

A morning train east from Luoyang Longmen, changing direction at Zhengzhou toward Jinan, and Taian by early afternoon. Bags go into the hotel inside the city, and the south gate of Daimiao is ten minutes on foot. The courtyard is large and the old cypresses cut the light into pieces. The eaves of Tiankuang Hall sit low, and the murals inside need a lean on the railing before the lines of the procession come clear. Dinner is a small tofu restaurant to the right of the gate, where cabbage and tofu simmered in spring water arrives still bubbling.

Attraction introduction: Daimiao was founded in the Han dynasty and served as the place where emperors fasted and prepared before the sacrifices on Mount Tai. The main hall, Tiankuang, holds a mural of the god of the mountain setting out and returning with an honour guard, painted in the Song period. The old cypresses in the courtyard have bark split into deep furrows, and local guides still say they were planted when Emperor Wu of Han came to perform the sacrifice.

Tips: Daimiao charges 20 yuan on top of the mountain ticket, so it can be skipped, though the mural is worth the entry. Guests generally find the temple quietest from three in the afternoon, when western light rakes across the yard. In practice, keep day one off the mountain and give the temple and a city dinner to this half day.

We meet at Hongmen at seven and start climbing from the stone arch of Wanxian Tower. The first stretch is gentle enough, with shade past Doumu Palace and the cypress tunnel, but beyond Hutiange the grade drops away. Zhongtianmen is the halfway fork, and above it the Eighteen Bends begin, flights stacked on flights, the last section steep enough that most people hold the rail. At Nantianmen the city below has shrunk to a patch. The night is spent on Tianjie, with a plain bowl of noodles for dinner.

Attraction introduction: The path from Hongmen to Zhongtianmen is the imperial road emperors climbed, and the stairs are lined with carved steles on both sides. The Eighteen Bends sit directly below Nantianmen and are counted in three stages, each steeper than the last. Nantianmen is the gateway to the summit, and through it lies Tianjie, a narrow street pressed between shopfronts.

Tips: The full walk takes four to six hours, and anyone with sore knees can switch to the cable car at Zhongtianmen for 100 yuan one way. Guests generally find the Hongmen to Zhongtianmen stretch eats the most time, and that many people run out of water there. In practice, we send the luggage up by vehicle so you carry only a day of water and a jacket.

Out the door a little after five with Tianjie still dark, east to Riguan Peak where the railing is already lined with people. The sun lifts off the ridge behind, reddening the cloud first, then laying a whole sheet of light across the summit. From there the walk continues to Yuhuang Summit, where a queue forms at the stone carving of the five sacred mountains. Incense at Bixia Shrine has never gone out. After ten the cable car drops to Zhongtianmen, a bus returns to Tianwaicun, and the afternoon goes to Pushan Temple.

Attraction introduction: Riguan Peak stands on the eastern side of the summit and is where most visitors watch the sunrise, with Zhanlu Terrace and Tanhai Rock nearby. Yuhuang Summit is the highest point of Mount Tai, marked by a small temple and an elevation stone. Bixia Shrine honours the goddess of the mountain, and its incense is the heaviest on the summit. Pushan Temple sits at the foot, a small courtyard with the rooms Feng Yuxiang once used.

Tips: Sunrise time shifts through the year, so check the schedule published by the park the day before and arrive an hour early to hold a place at the rail. Guests generally find the summit wind cold even in summer, and renting a military coat is easier than packing a down jacket. In practice, do not rush down after sunrise; have a bowl of hot porridge and let the cable car queue thin out.

A slow morning, then a bowl of grain soup with a Taian pancake rolled around scallion and sweet bean paste, which is what locals eat every day. The morning goes to the tomb of Feng Yuxiang and Black Dragon Pool at the foot of the mountain, where the trees are losing leaves and the reservoir lies still. Check out at noon-thirty, and the afternoon train puts you in Luoyang before dinner.

Attraction introduction: Black Dragon Pool is a deep basin cut by the mountain stream on the western slope, its rock walls carved with inscriptions from several dynasties, with Longevity Bridge upstream. The tomb of Feng Yuxiang faces the mountain from east of Pushan Temple. Taian pancakes are spread from millet flour thin enough to see light through.

Tips: The return train leaves from Taian station, about twenty minutes by taxi, and weekend traffic adds time, so leave an hour to spare. Guests generally find the food stalls on Taian Old Street only open after ten in the morning. In practice, the last day carries no climbing, which keeps the run home to Luoyang out of the night.