Tai'an, also T'ai-an, city, eastern China, in Shandong (Shan-tung) Province. Located at the foot of Tai Shan , China's holiest and most famous mountain, the city is important chiefly as a gateway for the many pilgrims who ascend the mountain by road. Numerous Buddhist and Daoist (Taoist) shrines, including the walled Tai temple, are local landmarks. Population (1991) 237,880.