Azure Clouds Temple (Bixia Ci)

This temple, near the top of Mount Tai, was first built in the Song dynasty and has been extensively renewed in later times. It is dedicated to Bixia, the Princess of the Azure Clouds and the daughter of the god of Mt. Tai. Bixia assists women during pregnancy, and is also associated with the dawn. Mt. Tai is a focus of the cycle of life and death; here the souls of the newborns come forth, and here the souls of the dead return, to complete the endless circle.