Tai Shan customs

Author: Shan Man
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-09-01
Features: Shandong was historically the land of the ancient states of Qi and Lu and is still known as the "Land of Qi and Lu." A section of the Qi Great Wall remains remarkably intact to this day. On one side lies the homeland of the ancient Qi people, known for their "pursuit of profit," while the other is the territory of the ancient Lu state, which valued "upholding tradition and suppressing commerce, as well as respecting education and etiquette." The customs of Shandong have always been distinct, and it is essential to record them in detail and faithfully. Vague generalizations cannot accurately portray the richness and diversity of Shandong's folk culture, so we envisioned creating a series of Shandong Folk Culture books. Each book would focus on a different folk culture circle within Shandong, not only distinguishing between the mountainous and coastal regions but also between the areas of Tai Shan, Laoshan, Kunyuan Mountain, and Yimeng Mountain. Not only would we document the folk customs of rural areas but also focus on urban customs, which have not been thoroughly explored by previous generations. We would not only create folk culture records for individual regions but also compile the customs along the Yellow River and the Grand Canal. We would not only provide a relatively macroscopic depiction of regional folk culture but also attempt micro-level explorations of unique villages, towns, households, and individual customs. In this way, we aim to present the folk culture of the entire Shandong province to the world.
The selection and writing of this series will break away from the traditional comprehensive approach used in folk culture records in recent years. With a panoramic view of the overall picture, we will focus more on individual cases, allowing readers to feel as if they are experiencing various folk customs firsthand. This will serve as a genuine local textbook for the people of Shandong, offering a reliable guide for outsiders seeking to adapt to local customs. Our goal is to make the series accessible to general readers, valuable to travelers, useful to scholars, and ultimately a timeless preservation of the folk culture of the Qi and Lu region.
What we record here are folk customs directly related to Mount Tai. It does not cover the general folk customs of Tai'an. Conversely, many of the customs recorded here are unique to Mount Tai and cannot be included in broader local folk culture studies. This is a folk culture record focused on a single mountain. This is a folk culture record centered on Mount Tai, the highest of the Five Great Mountains.