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and sometimes also human forms. The boshanlu can be made of bronze or clay. Fine openings between the peaks let the evaporated liquid pass through, suggesting mysterious clouds escaping from the mountain range.

Mountains have always played a crucial role in Chinese thought. Both feared and revered, they gave rise to general and local devotion. Among the most famous mountains, the Taishan has a very simple shape, while Mount Huang, the Yellow Mount, is crowned by seventy-two peaks. The most significant cult was dedicated to the five sacred mountains. These are the Taishan (Sacred East or East Peak) in Shandong, Mount Hua (West) in Shaanxi, Mount Heng (North) in Shanxi, Mount Heng (South) in Hunan and Mount Song (Center) in Henan. These five mountains alone represented all the mountains of the world, as well as the power within them. These mountains were considered to be the main link between the earth and the sky and recognized as the essential source of water.

When a new dynasty was established, the new Emperor had to visit the Five Sacred Mountains and, if possible, climb the Taishan. For at least 2,500 years it has been the site of remarkable pilgrimages. Not far from the summit is a temple that reveals in one of its courtyards the rocky tip of the mountain. This tip,