Scenery of RMB Banknotes II: Mt. Taishan, Shandong

There are five famous mountains in China: Mt. Taishan in Shandong,  Mount Hengshan in Hunan, Mt. Huashan in Shaanxi, Mt. Hengshan in Shanxi and Mount Song in Henan. And the Mount Tai is the first of the five mountains, which is also the back pattern of 5 yuan. In the last article, we talked about the back pattern on 1 Yuan, in the chapter, we will continue our RMB banknotes journey about 5 Yuan.

Chapter Two

RMB 5 Note: Mt. Taishan, Shandong

Attraction: Mt. Taishan, Shandong
Openning Hours: 7:30 - 17:30 
Best Time to Visit: May-November
Highlights: 
1. Eighteen Bends 
2. Southern Gate 
3. Rising Sun 
4. Dai Temple 
5. Sunrise of Mountain Tai 
6. Top 6 Scenic Spot (You Area, Kuang Area, Ao Area, Miao Area, Xiu Area, Li Area) 
7. Lingyan Temple 
8. Puzhao Temple 
9. Zhulin Temple 
10. Yuquan Temple
 

RMB 5 Yuan

                              
The back pattern of 5 yuan is the scenery of Mt. Taishan, whose splendid view of the sunrise over a sea of clouds in Shandong province. The stone inscription in the foreground is from the summit of Mount Tai, with four giant Chinese characters proclaiming "wuyueduzun"(the most respected of the Five Sacred Mountains). However, this pattern is “montage”, putting two scenes (rock carving and the main peak of Mount Tai) together, because actually, people can not see such scenery in reality. 

Mount Tai is famous for its grandness, with splendid natural scenery and rich cultural relics. It has been a source of inspiration to artists and scholars.

"There's no need to visit other mountains when you've been to the Five Sacred Mountains," Chinese folk wisdom says. The majestic Mount Tai has been regarded as the chief of the five Taoist Sacred Mountains. Confucius and the great poet Dufu both made poems illustrating their respect "From the summit of Mount Tai you will see how small the surrounding Mountains appear as they lie below you".

Mt. Taishan

With its abundant cultural treasures, Mt. Tai is honored as a sacred mountain and the symbol of Chinese national spirit. From ancient times to the Qing Dynasty, emperors came to this reverend peak to hold grand ceremonies to worship the Gods of Heaven and earth. According to historical records, there were 72 emperors offering imperial sacrifices here. In 1987, Mount Tai was designated as a World Natural and Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.

If you want to climb the Mountain Tai, we recommend 4 lines for you.

Line1: Dai Temple-Tianmen-Confucius Board-Hongmen-Zhongtian Gate-Southern Gate-Yuhuangding (The most classic Hongmen Road hiking middle line)

Line 2: Tianwai Village(World Square)-Ring Road-Zhu Lin monastery-Huangxi River Reservoir-Zhongtian Gate-Southern Gate-Yuhuangding(Bus way)

Line 3: The Entrance of Peach Blossom Valley-Ring Road-Caishi Stream-Red Squama Fish Protected Area- Paradise by Cableway-Southern Gate-Yuhuangding(Bus way or Hiking)

Line 4: Tianzhufeng(Back Mountain)

Scenery of RMB Banknotes I: Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, Hangzhou

Have you visited China? If you want to travel in China, you should exchange your currency into RMB, the official currency of People's Republic of China. Do you notice what on the RMB banknotes is? We will show the patterns printed on the banknotes one after another.

Chapter One

RMB 1 Note: Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, Hangzhou

Nowadays, the fifth series of RMB is the dominated currency used in mainland China, of which the fronts of 100 Yuan, 50 Yuan, 20 Yuan, 10 Yuan, 5 Yuan and 1 Yuan are printed with a same head portrait of Chairman Mao Zedong. On the back of these notes, different famous scenery in China air printed. 

The obverse side and back of 1 Yuan

Attraction: Three Pools Mirroring the Moon
Openning Hours: 8:00 - 17:00 
Best Time to Visit: Spring and Autumn

Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, one of the “10 Scenic Spots in West Lake”, shown on the 1 RMB note, is located in the south central portion of Hangzhou’s West Lake. The name also refers to Xiaoying Island, one of the three islands in West Lake, along with Mid-Lake Pavilion (Hu Xin Ting) and Ruan Gong Islet (Ruan Gong Dun).

Three stone towers were built in the Daonan Lake, and according to the legend, they are built when Su Tung Po was in charge of dredging the West Lake (The present stone towers are those rebuilt in Ming Dynasty).

Three Pools Mirroring the Moon

What’s interesting is that the belly of tower is hollow, and five isometric round holes are 
arranged in order on the spherical body. When it is a night with bright moon, plaster a piece of thin paper on the hole opening and light the lighting in the tower, the hole shape will reflect on the lake and a lot of moons will be presented on the lake. Indeed, it is hard to tell which is real moon and which is false one, the formed night scene is fairly fascinating, so the name “Three Pools Mirroring the Moon” is obtained.