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A visit to Mt. Laoshan and Taiqing Palace

My shore leave was spent visiting Taiqing Palace, which is about an hour away (by motorcoach) from the Port of Qingdao where Silversea Cruises Silver Shadow was docked for the day. Regarded as one of the oldest, largest and best Taoist temples gave me the chance to see the landscape and to have an opportunity to walk around the grounds that have inspired and cultivated many famous Taoists.

Which do you prefer: Wealth or Longevity?

In the photo above, the doorway on the left will lead to wealth. The door on the right will lead to longevity. The door in the middle is not available, unless you are the Emperor.

The monks that serve the complex are said to be seeking immortality, similar the first emperor of the Qin dynasty (221-206 BC) who (according to local legend) also visited the temple to in search of eternal longevity.

For those of us less motivated to seek immortality, we did have a chance to observe some interesting architecture within a very serene environment: the Yellow Sea and the craggy rocks on nearby mountain peaks made a nice backdrop to the temples.