Dai Temple

The Dai Temple, also called the Eastern Peak Temple, stands at the southern foot of Mount Tai and was where the emperors of successive dynasties made their sacrifices to the god of the mountain. Imperial sacrifices there begin with Emperor Wu of Han in 110 BC; the fengshan rites on the mountain itself were discontinued by 1008, the year the temple was rebuilt and greatly extended under the Song. Its main building is the Hall of Heavenly Bestowal, counted with the Hall of Supreme Harmony in Beijing and the Hall of Great Perfection at Qufu as the three great halls of China. The temple covers 100,000 square metres and was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit in 1988.