Tai Shan is very popular with locals and has welcomed 1.27 million visitors in the first quarter of 2025. — CHARLIE FONG/Wikimedia Commons
As dawn broke over Tai Shan (Mount Tai) in east China’s Shandong Province, 26-year-old Wang Yang packed his backpack with essentials like first aid kit, trekking poles, and energy-boosting candies.
He was preparing to guide a family of five to the summit in six hours, marking his seventh booking during this year’s five-day May Day holiday recently.
