"The world is small," said Confucius. When he made that comment he was standing 1,545 meters above sea level on the top of Taishan Mountian. When I stood in the same spot, I wondered if the great sage had a premonition about globalization, or he just marveled at the bird's-eye view.

I lost count of the steps after 30 minutes. The part of my brain that switches off when I do anything strenuous signaled shutdown and my feet moved metronomically. I kept telling myself I was following in the footsteps of 72 emperors, Confucius and even Chairman Mao Zedong himself. Suddenly the phrase "one step at a time" took on a whole new meaning.

China's most sacred mountain has many stories to tell. Jutting out of the flat plains between the cities of Tai'an, Jinan and Zibo in Shandong Province, most Chinese have it down as a "must climb" during their lifetime, irrespective of religious beliefs. Taishan's fame grew from the fact that in the past, an emperor's first action after ascending to the throne was to make the arduous trek up to the summit and perform rituals and make sacrifices to heaven and earth.

Today the common folk who brave the almost 7,000-step climb come to make their own blessings for fertility, long life, health or good fortune. Taishan has deep Taoist connections, with temples built into the mountain at all levels, where climbers burn incense and place metal locks in the hope of securing their future. Being included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987 has only added to the numbers of the many who make the pilgrimage.

Pausing for breath near a holy cave surrounded by stone inscriptions, I heard the familiar "hello, hello" greeting given to foreigners and turned to see what looked like a mountain man emerging from the shadowed entrance. His green army trench coat hung on an emaciated frame, long gray hair framing a face set off by eyes that looked clean through me. He beckoned me in, and never being short on curiosity I followed. The entrance eventually opened out into a smallish cave deep in the mountain, clouded with incense smoke and desperately cold. In the light of four fat red candles he motioned me to sit on a stone seat and proceeded to tell me my fortune. I sat, nodded appreciatively and left 20 minutes later, senses in a daze. I tried to press 50 yuan ($7) into his calloused hand but he waved me off, refusing payment.

The blue sky looked bluer now and I turned back to wave at my soothsayer but he had slunk back into the mountain. How did he know those things, I wondered? A bell echoed across the mountain, its deep sound seeming to come from the summit. I lifted my feet again.

A famous Chinese saying says, "Scaling Taishan makes one feel superior to the whole world," as it creates a feeling of regal dignity and imperial majesty. I think it makes you feel more connected to the ordinary things around you. Pausing at scenic spots with names like Azure Cloud Temple, Peak for Viewing the Sun and Mid-heaven Gate is a reminder that anyone can connect with nature and its power, irrespective of his or her station in life.

The last 2,000 steps are murder, almost vertical and passing small stalls selling trinkets, cucumbers and tomatoes. Pause to suck in crisp air and platoons of touts accost you in your weakest moment, to take photos, be carried up or just buy exorbitantly priced bottles of water.

When the last waterfalls, stone inscriptions and oddly shaped pines and cypresses have given way and you look up, exhausted, at the red gate on the summit, it's a rush. A small village has been built on the flat section at the top where climbers can stop for tea, have a meal or spend the night in the hopes of catching the famed sunrise.

I went in search of the bell and found it on the first floor of a rickety tower jutting out from the western cliffs. The bell warden urged me to ring it. I held the ropes and closed my eyes to make a wish. As I was about to swing the wooden pole he stopped me. "10 yuan ($1.40), 10 yuan," he said. I put my wish on hold, paid up and struck, shattering the sound of silence.

Outside on Jade Emperor Peak, the Temple of the God lay almost 9 km away, at the foot of the mountain. If the climb up symbolizes your life, then the large blank stele erected here made sense. After all, we write our own stories.