Religious worship of Mount Tai has a tradition dating back 3,000 years, from the time of the Shang (c. 1600-1046 BC) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). Over time, this worship evolved into the Feng and Shan sacrifices. The sacrifices were an official imperial rite and Mount Tai became one of the principal places where the emperor would carry out the sacrifices to pay homage to heaven (on the summit) and earth (at the foot of the mountain) in the Feng () and Shan () sacrifices respectively. The two sacrifices are often referred to together as the Fengshan sacrifices (). Carving of an inscription as part of the sacrifices marked the attainment of the great peace.