During the National Day holiday, a large number of tourists climbing Mount Tai encountered rainy weather. Due to the generally higher hotel prices on the mountain and the low nighttime temperatures, many tourists had to hide in the mountain toilets or paid hotels to shelter from the rain overnight.
On October 2, a netizen named “Ba Da Guan Camping Par” posted a video saying that on the first day of the National Day holiday, more than 30,000 people climbed Mount Tai, only to be met with rain and strong winds. People slowly climbed the steps in the cold rain, with visibility so poor that aside from the densely packed individuals in white raincoats, they couldn’t see any scenery. Desperation set in as they watched water dripping off their clothes and their shoes soaking in water. The netizen mentioned that after spending a sleepless night enduring the wind and rain, they ended up staying on the mountain for 12 hours, experiencing what true hardship is like, calling it a crazy experience in their middle age.
In the video, tourists clad in raincoats climbed the steps in the darkness, with one man’s voice shouting, “I regret this, I don’t want to go out, I want to go home.”
Another netizen in a video mentioned that by nightfall, the toilets on Mount Tai were packed with soaking wet and shivering people seeking shelter from the rain. The video showed tourists sitting or even lying on the wet restroom floor. The netizen humorously remarked, “You never know how warm the toilets on Mount Tai are at night.”
Commenting on the video, some netizens expressed their frustrations, saying, “Frozen stiff, money spent, limping back to their hometown covered in mud and slush, this holiday feels like a disaster. Cooking with ginger, brewing soups, seeking a doctor for a prescription, legs going soft, hearts in panic, this holiday is truly a calamity.”
According to a tourist who climbed Mount Tai on the 2nd, it started raining around 8 p.m. on the 1st night. There were few places on the mountain to take shelter from the rain, and with a high number of tourists, even the toilets were crowded, leading many tourists to get wet. Although indoor areas like Bixia Temple on the mountain were open for tourists to seek shelter, the space was limited and couldn’t accommodate too many people, prompting many to choose to descend the mountain overnight.
The tourist mentioned that hotel prices on the mountain are generally high, with even standard rooms costing over 1,000 yuan, and most were fully booked. Many guesthouses and hotels offered seats for tourists to shelter overnight, but required a fee of 60 yuan per person.
On the afternoon of the 2nd, a hotel near the summit of Mount Tai confirmed that staying overnight in the lobby would cost each person between 80 to 100 yuan.
An online consumption platform displayed that during the National Day holiday, a guesthouse near the summit of Mount Tai provided holiday seats for 99 yuan per person, offering an overnight stay at the summit, a bucket of instant noodles, unlimited hot water, phone charging, and wireless internet services.
In response to the situation, staff at Mount Tai scenic area advised that it had been raining from the previous night until the current day and suggested that tourists check the weather on Mount Tai before their trip, opting for clear weather when visiting.