文／王天宇

○泰山，集天地之靈氣。圖／紀(jì)智勇Mount Tai absorbs the aura of heaven and earth.

“岱宗夫如何？齊魯青未了?！碧┥?，位于中國山東省中部，方圓426平方公里，主峰玉皇頂海拔高度1545米。泰山自古就有“五岳獨尊”“天下第一山”的美譽。

在25億年前，后來稱之為“泰山運動”的造山運動，使泰山第一次露出海平面。而在3000萬年前的新構(gòu)造運動中，泰山南麓發(fā)生山前斷裂，所處的盆地下沉，而北麓大幅度抬升，形成了如今泰山巍峨高聳的雄姿。十里山澗，泰山彩石平鋪溪底，如天工神筆繪就的一幅瑰麗長卷，徜徉其中，感嘆、欣賞自然的造化神工，使人心曠神怡，流連忘返。

在中國的歷史上，人們大多都有著“戀山”的情結(jié)。登山即登天，人們無不期望通過登山的途徑，實現(xiàn)潛意識里登天的心靈訴求和美好憧憬。然而泰山更加特殊，這座大山與中華民族的文明史同步，實屬罕見。

《史記》中就有七十二王封禪泰山的史傳。遠古時期的神農(nóng)氏、炎帝、黃帝、堯、舜、禹等，無不來泰山祭祀天地。

中國最早的歷史文獻《尚書》說：舜在春季的二月登上泰山，在山巔燒火祭祀，這是一個王者成功后取得最高祭祀權(quán)的標(biāo)志，是帝王權(quán)力的象征。

在封建社會里，大凡帝王都會自命為“天子”，是受命于天的。而要祭天，最莊嚴(yán)、最神圣的儀式，就是到泰山去封禪，因為在人們的心目中，泰山是最高最大的山，是萬物始生之地。

秦始皇一統(tǒng)天下，成為中國歷史上第一個中央集權(quán)的封建帝王。即位后的第一件大事，就是泰山封禪；雄才大略的漢武帝，則把封禪作為治國安邦、修身養(yǎng)性的第一要務(wù)，前后八次登封泰山；漢文帝、漢章帝、漢安帝、隋文帝、唐高宗、武則天、唐玄宗、宋真宗、清康熙、清乾隆等，都以不同的形式祭祀過泰山。

泰山封禪意味著受命于天，昭示著國家統(tǒng)一，彰顯著國泰民安，因此，歷代帝王莫不競相效仿。泰山封禪這一“曠世大典”，在中國執(zhí)著地演繹了數(shù)千年。

由此，也就形成了泰山在世界上獨一無二的封禪祭祀文化。

建筑，是一種凝固的文化。

從泰城通天街到泰山極頂，這條長達十幾公里的南北中軸線上，古建筑星羅棋布，從山下到山上，110余處的宮、觀、祠、亭、坊、樓、閣、塔、橋等各式建筑，讓人們堅貞不渝地營造了上千年。這不僅在中國的名山大川中絕無僅有，同時也被稱為世界文明建筑史上的一大奇跡。

山下的岱廟，是中國三大宮殿式建筑之一。山上的碧霞祠，銅的世界，鐵的王國，是中國高山建筑的典范。泰山古建筑在彪炳著文化，也在延展著文化。

石刻，是文化的藝術(shù)，也是藝術(shù)的文化。

泰山是世界上獨一無二的石刻藝術(shù)寶庫，泰山上鐫刻著一部中華民族的文明史。泰山現(xiàn)有刻石2200余處，從秦代延續(xù)至今，無論時間的跨度還是書法藝術(shù)的流變，堪稱中外首屈一指的天然書法博物館。

唐高宗與武則天的《雙束碑》，兩石并立，寓意高宗與武則天共掌天下，碑文中還有武則天自己創(chuàng)造的文字，被稱為“碑中一絕”。

唐玄宗的《紀(jì)泰山銘》刻石，以其巨大的形制，成為中國最大的帝王摩崖刻石。經(jīng)石峪的北齊摩崖刻石，是我們所知的中國最大的佛教經(jīng)典刻石，被金石學(xué)家譽為“大字鼻祖”“榜書之宗”。

在這里，文化找到了依托，石頭注入了文明。

自然的泰山，彰顯著自然的神奇。

文化的泰山，印證著文化的神圣。

泰山，中華民族精神的家園。

泰山，在數(shù)千年持續(xù)不斷的歷史發(fā)展中，始終維系著一個古老民族“國泰民安”的信念與對“和平”“統(tǒng)一”的企盼。在人們生生不息的活動中，泰山一直在寄托著每一個中華兒女對生活“和諧”“平安”的期盼與向往。

○外國友人登泰山。圖／姜作任The foreigners climb up Mount Tai.

○無論從哪個角度都可以看到泰山雄偉的風(fēng)姿。圖／紀(jì)智勇No matter from which angle, you will see the grandeur of Mount Tai.

○登泰山而小天下。圖／紀(jì)智勇When ascending Mount Tai, one will feel that everything in the world appears small.

登泰山，保平安。平安是泰山文化的核心元素之一。在泰山文化的語境中，平安是一個關(guān)鍵詞。在泰山的信仰里，最普遍、最虔誠的則是平安信仰。泰山，是和平的承諾，和諧的保證。在她的偉岸身軀默默地保護下，無論你在何時何地，都會感覺到來自泰山的力量，聽到她一聲平安的祝福！

編輯／王雪芃

“O peak of peaks, how high it stands! One boundless green overspreads two States.” These lines describe the magnificence of Taishan Mountain, also known as Mount Tai, which is located in the central part of Shandong province, China. With an area of 426 square kilometers and the highest peak, Yuhuangding Peak,1 545 meters above sea level, Taishan Mountain has been known as “the fi rst of the fi ve sacred mountains” and “No.1 mountain in the world” since ancient times.

Taishan Mountain was made to arise from sea for the fi rst time by the“orogenesis movement”, known as“Taishan Movement”, 2.5 billion years ago. It took today’s towering shape in the neotectonic movement 30 million years ago when the basin sank while the northern foot of the mountain rose sharply because of the fracture at its southern foot. With colored pebbles lying in streambeds, the valleys are surpassingly beautiful just like a long scroll of paintings. Lingering in them,people cannot help exclaiming over the great work of nature, so attractive as to make them forget to leave.

In the history of China, most people have a “mountain complex”. For them, to climb mountains is to ascend to heaven. In their sub-consciousness,they wish to achieve their spiritual yearning and grand vision of ascending to heaven through mountain climbing.Taishan Mountain is particularly special for Chinese people in that it developed nearly at the same pace as the civilization history of Chinese nation.

In Records of the Historian there are the historical biographies of 72 emperors offering sacrifices to heaven at Taishan Mountain. Emperors like Shen Nong, Yan, Huang, Yao, Shun and Yu in ancient times all went to Taishan Mountain to offer sacrifice to heaven and earth.

According to The Book of History,the earliest historical document in China, Emperor Shun once ascended,in February, to the top of Taishan Mountain and lit a fire at the peak as a sacrifice to heaven, which was a sign of the highest right of sacrifice of monarchs and a symbol of the power of the sovereign.

Nearly all monarchs in feudal society regarded themselves as the “son of heaven” and as being selected and mandated by heaven. To offer sacrif i ces to Heaven at the top of Taishan Mountain was considered to be the most solemn and sacred of rituals because in people’s mind Taishan Mountain was the highest and largest mountain where everything originated from.

The First Emperor Qin, who unif i ed the whole country and became the fi rst emperor of centralized feudal society in the history of China, went to Taishan Mountain to offer sacrifices to heaven as the fi rst important thing he did after his enthronement. Emperor Wu in the Han Dynasty, who regarded sacrificing to heaven as the first priority for the governance of a country and for moral cultivation, ascended Mount Tai and offered sacrif i ces to heaven eight times.Other emperors such as Emperor Wen,Emperor Zhang, and Emperor An in the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wen in the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Gao in the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Wu Zetian, and Emperor Xuan in the Tang Dynasty,Emperor Zhen in the Song Dynasty,Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty all offered sacrif i ces on Taishan Mountain in different forms.

Symbolizing the divinity of their power, the unity of their country,and the prosperity and peace of their country, offering sacrif i ces to heaven on Taishan Mountain became an important grand ceremony and was followed by emperors in different dynasties.

Thus, the unique sacrif i cing culture at Taishan Mountain came into being.

Architecture is a fi xed culture.

Various ancient structure are scattered along the over-ten-kilometerlong south-north central axis from Tongtian Street to the top of Taishan Mountain. For over one thousand years, over 110 palaces, Taoist temples,memorial temples, pavilions, towers,pagodas and bridges have been built from the foot to the top of the mountain, which is the only one of this kind among famous mountains and valleys in China and also a great wonder in the history of architecture in world civilization.

○泰山摩崖石刻 圖／侯賀良Inscriptions on precipices of Mount Tai

Dai Temple, located at the foot of Taishan Mountain, is one of the three largest palatial architectures in China.Bixia Temple on the mountain is an example of mountain architecture in China. The ancient structures on Taishan Mountain are recording and extending the splendid culture of Taishan Mountain.

Stone inscription is the art of culture as well as the culture of art.

Taishan Mountain is a unique treasure house of stone inscriptions in the world, where the whole history of Chinese nation’s civilization is inscribed. With more than 2 200 stone inscriptions from the Qin Dynasty till now, Taishan Mountain can be called the No.1 natural calligraphy museum in the world in terms of both time span and development.

The Double Tablets of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty and his Empress Wu Zetian, known as “the absolutely unique tablets”, stood side by side, symbolizing that the two jointly ruled the world. In the inscriptions there is also the character the Empress Wu Zetian later had invented for herself.

Emperor Xuanzong’s Inscription Record of Taishan Mountain is the largest emperor’s cliff-side inscription for its large shape and structure. The cliff-side inscription from the Northern Qi Dynasty in Jingshi Valley, honored by epigraphers as “founder of brush writing” and “the origin of Bangshu”, is the largest Buddhist classic inscription known in China

On Taishan Mountain, culture found its base and stone was infused with civilization.

The natural Taishan Mountain manifests the magic of nature.

The cultural Taishan Mountain verif i es the sacredness of culture.

Taishan Mountain is the home of the spirit of the Chinese nation.

Unlike any other mountains all over China or even throughout the world, Taishan Mountain has been preserving the belief of “a prosperous nation and a peaceful people” of an ancient nation and wishes for “peace”and “unification”. In human activities Taishan Mountain has kept the yearning for “harmony” and “safety” of every Chinese descendant.

Ascend Taishan Mountain,Guarantee Life Safety. Safety is one of the core elements of Taishan Mountain culture. As a key word in the context of Taishan culture, safety is the most common and the most pious belief.Taishan Mountain is the promise of peace and the safeguard of harmony.Under its protection, wherever you are, you can feel the power of Taishan Mountain and hear her blessings for safety.