Daiyue district's Liyu village, with some 200 households, drew around 40,000 tourists annually, generating over 2 million yuan. The number of visitors to Pingwa village in Xintai, known for its folk customs and historic villages, topped 5,000 during the spring season. The city has also developed culture-related tourism products and souvenirs, such as carvings of Taishan jade, which is found in deposits around the mountain, said scholar Zhou Ying.

"Taishan jade is a cultural symbol of Mount Taishan. It appreciates rapidly, with an annual appreciation rate of about 200 percent," Zhou said.

The Tai'an government has determined that there are 5.07 million metric tons of ore and 2.71 million tons of jade within a 3.64-square-kilometer area around the mountain. Currently, annual turnover of Taishan jade in Tai'an is 500 million yuan.

The local government is currently building a Taishan jade trading, processing and tourism base.

wangqian2@chinadaily.com.cn

A bird’s-eye view of Daimiao Temple, located at the foot of Mount Taishan. Wang Dequan / For China Daily