Just north of Qufu and on your way back to Jinan is the city of Tai'an. 

You may have heard of West Lake in Hangzhou but Tai'an has an even bigger lake by the same name. A beautiful place for a daytime visit or even better an evening stroll, what impressed me most about the lake was the fountain show, which has a main fountain that shoots water 200 meters into the air. As the many fountains put on a show choreographed with the music, a video telling ancient stories plays using the water behind it as a screen. Definitely a must see site.

Dean Gordon Munk visits Mount Tai in Tai'an on Sept 28. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Tai'an gets its name from Taishan or Mount Tai, which is widely regarded as the most important of China's five sacred mountains. It has been listed by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site and a World Cultural Heritage Site. One of the reasons it is considered the most important of the five sacred mountains is the long list of emperors who have performed ceremonies at its summit.

The easiest way up the mountain is by taking the cable car that goes most of the way up and then walking the rest of the way. The more adventurous can climb up it in several hours. Regardless of the way you get to the top, a very meaningful moment occurs when watching the sun rise from the top of the mountain. Take a deep breath of that fresh mountain air and enjoy every moment that this cultural and natural scenic spot has to offer.

Make sure to take this chance to follow in the footsteps of many of the great emperors who have gazed down from the top of this magnificent mountain.

Dean Gordon Munk looks at a wooden wheelbarrow at the Shandong Museum on Sept 29 in Jinan, capital of Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Jinan not only has the sites to see in the city that it is famous for like Daming Lake, Furong Street, and Baotu Spring, as well as numerous other springs, but also places you can easily get to from Jinan like Qufu and Tai'an. Actually the whole province of Shandong is loaded with interesting things to see and do reflecting its ancient history and modern splendor.