With 2017 marking the 30th anniversary of the friendship between East China's Shandong province and the German state of Bavaria, a group of photographers drawn from both sides visited the 5,000-year-old city of Tai'an on May 13.

During their stay in Tai'an, the photographers experienced the?Mount Tai shadow puppet play, a State-level intangible cultural heritage. They also visited Mount Tai, the most prominent mountain in China's history, and Dai Temple, the largest and best preserved architectural complex on Mount Tai.

A German photographer experiences Mount Tai shadow puppet play under the guidance of Fan Zheng'an, a national inheritor of the folk art. [Photo by Dong Yi/Tai'an Daily]

In addition, they attended the Fengshan Sacrifice rites held on the mountain. The rites, also called the emperors' sacrificial ceremonies, are a kind of religious ritual that was conducted by China's ancient emperors in homage to Heaven and Earth on the most famous and sacred mountain in China.

The photographers were all fascinated by the mixture of the city's modern urban construction and profound historical culture.

Wolfgang Elster, vice president of the Bavarian Photographers Association, said that he could feel the thousand-year-old cultural as well as a strong flavor of modern life.

"As a place where emperors offered sacrifice to Heaven, Tai'an has a deep cultural heritage and is also a word natural and cultural heritage site.

Watching the Mount Tai shadow puppet play was no doubt the climax of our trip to the city. I'm happy and lucky to watch this world's intangible cultural heritage. Its protection and inheritance is certainly something to be proud of."

"My trip to China has been both enjoyable and productive. Tremendous changes have taken place here beyond our imagination," said Alexander Preyer, member of the Bavarian Photographers Association. "We have enjoyed its beautiful scenery and I’m impressed by the hospitality of the people in Tai’an."

Accompanied by Hou Heliang, honorary president of the Shandong Photographers Association, the team will stay in Shandong for a week and visit the province's major cities including Jinan, Jining, Weifang and Qingdao. Selected images from the tour will be displayed in a joint exhibition to be held in Shandong and Bavaria.

The culture-oriented ceremony of "Fengshan Sacrifices" is held every year on Mount Tai. [Photo/people.com.cn]

Situated to the north of Tai'an City, the Dai Temple is the largest and best-preserved architectural complex of Mount Tai. [Photo by Zhang Jie/WeChat account: hitaishan]