Sima Qian once said, "death is inherent in man, which is either heavier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather." "Mount Tai" here refers to Mount Tai, which is now located in Tai'an City, Shandong Province. Mount Tai has become an important birthplace of Oriental culture as early as ancient times, and Mount Tai has become the earliest famous mountain in China and the first of the five mountains in the pre-Qin period. The actual altitude of Mount Tai is not too high. It only ranks third among the five mountains, second to Mount Heng and Mount Hua. Compared with many mountains in the country, it can't catch up with it. But why did it become famous as "the chief of the five mountains" and "the sole ancestor of the five mountains"?
This should start with the geographical environment and primitive religion of Mount Tai. Mount Tai rises in the east of the North China Plain, above the Qilu plain, facing the vast sea in the East, the long-standing Yellow River in the West and the water of Wen, Si and Huai in the south. The relative height difference between Mount Tai and the plains and hills is 1300 meters, forming a strong contrast, so it is particularly high visually; The sense of playing and the high and broad momentum of "looking at the mountains and small"; The mountain range stretches for more than 100 kilometers and covers an area of 426 square kilometers. Its broad foundation produces a sense of stability, while its large and concentrated shape produces a sense of massiness, which has the prestige of "stabilizing kunwei without shaking". The so-called "stable as Mount Tai" and "heavy as Mount Tai" are the reflection of its natural characteristics in people's physiology and psychology. According to Ren Fang's account of strange things in the Six Dynasties, in the Qin and Han Dynasties, the folklore Pangu (the God and man who created the earth and gave birth to all things in ancient times) died with the head of the East Mountain, the left arm of the south mountain, the right arm of the north mountain and the foot of the west mountain. The head of Pangu's body turned to the East and became the Dongyue. Mount Tai became the first of the five mountains of course. This is obviously a fairy tale created according to the theories of < < five elements > >, < < five virtues > >, which reflects the historical background of Mount Tai's exclusive respect for the five mountains.
The East is the place where the sun rises. The ancients thought it was the place where everything alternates and early spring occurs. Therefore, the East has become the source of life, a symbol of hope and auspiciousness. The ancient ancestors often regarded the magnificent and strange Dongyue as a God and worshipped the mountain god as the object of praying for good weather. Therefore, Mount Tai, which is located in the East, became the "auspicious mountain" and "God's house" of "the place where all things are conceived". The "son of heaven", who was ordered by heaven to be the emperor, regarded Mount Tai as a symbol of national unity and power. In order to thank the emperor of heaven for his "command", he will also go to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to gods. During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, King Xiangtu of Shang built the eastern capital at the foot of Mount Tai, and the emperor of Zhou built Qilu with Mount Tai as the boundary; It is said that before the Qin and Han Dynasties, 72 generations of Kings went to Mount Tai to worship gods. Since then, ancient emperors such as Qin Shihuang, Qin II, Han Wudi, Han Guangwu, Han Zhangdi, Han'an, Sui Wendi, Tang Gaozong, Wu Zetian, Tang Xuanzong, song Zhenzong, Qing Emperor Kangxi and Qianlong successively went to Mount Tai to worship zen and engrave stones to record merit. The emperors of all dynasties consolidated their rule with the help of the divine power of Mount Tai, which raised the sacred status of Mount Tai to an unprecedented level.
Cultural celebrities of past dynasties have come to Mount Tai to write poems and articles, leaving thousands of poems and articles engraved with stones. For example, Confucius' Qiu Lingge, Sima Xiangru's Fengchan book, Cao Zhi's flying dragon, Li Bai's Taishan chant and Du Fu's looking at the mountains have become famous poems handed down from generation to generation in China; The murals of the Song Dynasty in Tianyun hall and the colored sculptures of the Song Dynasty in Lingyan temple are rare treasures; The stone carvings and steles in Mount Tai are a masterpiece of Chinese calligraphy art. The real grass, official seal and seal characters are complete in all forms. Yan Liu, Ou Zhao's schools have completed their studies. It is an exhibition hall of Chinese calligraphy and Stone Carvings Art of all dynasties. Mount Tai is extremely rich in cultural heritage. There are 97 ancient sites and 22 ancient buildings, which provides important material materials for the study of the history of ancient Chinese architecture.
Therefore, Mount Tai is well deserved to be called the head of the five mountains.
The origin of Mount Tai Daizong: Daizong: Dai means "beginning" (ancestor); Zong means "long"; Dai Zong means the supreme in the world and the king of the mountains, so Mount Tai is also called Dai Zong.