Sima Qian was the great historian and man of letters in the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24).

He collected and detailed grand ceremonies of heaven worship on the top of Mount Tai?made by ancient emperors, from First Emperor in Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC)?to Emperor Wu of Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24)?in Book of History--Sacrifices to Heaven.

Thanks to his efforts, such political and cultural sacrifice ceremony attracted great attention from emperors in following dynasties, who carried forward it as a grand event.

Book of History stands as the example and Sacrifices to Heaven becomes a key part for dynasties following West Han to record their history.

It is safe to say that both dedicated research about sacrifices to heaven and record of the ceremony starting from Sima Qian, who makes a seminal contribution to the unique culture about Mount Tai

Editor: Li Jing

Source: The Information Office of Tai'an Government