China has launched a survey to find out the precise height of Mount Tai (Taishan Mountain) that is dubbed as the most preeminent of China's five sacred mountains, following the re-measurement of the world's highest peak of Mount Qomolangma last year.
It is the first time for Taishan to be measured with modern tools including global positioning systems, said Lin Hai, an official with the Shandong provincial department of land and resources.
The current altitude of Taishan is known as from 1,533 meters to 1,545 meters, while the 1,545-meter height is the most often seen in various documents although nobody knows how or when the figure came into being.
Chinese surveyors measured the mountain as 1,533 meters and 1,536 meters high in the 1950s and the 1980s respectively with simple and crude methods, which made the figures unreliable.
Thirty experts arrived on Tuesday in Tai'an, east China's Shandong Province, to start the measurement.
Modern surveying technologies would help achieve a high precision, with the range of error below two centimeters, Lin said.
Meanwhile, the survey will also find out whether Yuhuangding (a.k.a Jade Emperor Peak) or Guanrifeng (a.k.a Sun View Peak) is the highest peak.
The results of the measurement are expected to be released in October.
China re-measured the Mount Qomolangma's (a.k.a Mount Everest) summit last year as 8,844.43 meters, 3.7 meters shorter than the last measured figure 30 years ago.
Dubbed as "the most preeminent of China's five sacred mountains," Taishan was listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1987 as a world natural and cultural heritage for its magnificent scenery and splendid culture.
The other four mountains are western Huashan, southern Hengshan, northern Eternity and central Songshan.
The Taishan Mountain is a symbol of loftiness and grandeur. In ancient times, emperors used to ascend the mountain to pray and say thanks to heaven and earth for peace and prosperity. High-ranking officials, noted scholars and commoners have followed suit since.
(Xinhua News Agency July 8, 2006)
