preface

Located at the southern flank of Yangtze River estuary and outer edge of Hangzhou Bay of China, Zhoushan is a unique port and tourist city. It is well known as “Buddhist Paradise on the Sea” and also famous for its fishery. With a total of 1390 pearl-like islands scattered in the East China Sea, Zhoushan archipelago, endowed with attractive islands scenery, covers a total area of 22,000 square kilometers, of which an area of 20,800 square kilometers is sea.

Zhoushan has long been known as the place to go for the benefits of fish and salt, of convenient marine transport and its rich resources and beautiful scenery. With its unparallel nature and special geography adding centuries-old history, Zhoushan has not only various landscapes, such as blue sky and sea, green islands, golden sand, whitecap, wizard peaks and intelligent stones, but also many human landscapes, cultural relics, war remains, old temples and ancient petroglyphies. To date, more than one thousand various landscapes have been developed. Among them, the two location, Mount Putuo----“Buddhist Paradise amidst the Sea and Heaven”, and Shengsi----“Islands with Fine Sands” are the Nationally Ranked nature sites, while Daishan Island----“a fabled abode of immortals in the East China Sea” and Taohua Island----“Fairyland Abroad” are Provincially Ranked nature sites. Moreover, Dinghai----the famous historic and cultural town is unique in China, Shenjiamen fishing port----“Fishery Capital of China” is also very well-known. Zhoushan is one of the richest tourist city in East China.

The climate in Zhoushan is type of oceanic monsoon on the flank of sub-tropic, which renders Zhoushan rich of sea products with characteristics of trenchant four seasons and full illumination. Island tourism, with its marine culture, Buddhist mountain, seafood and seashore recreation, is becoming one of leading industries in Zhoushan. The colorful features of islands have attracted many visitors. There are a variety of activities for visitors to Zhoushan, island exploration, water and beach sports, marine science, eating seafood, sightseeing, fishing, living with fisherman’s family, as well as several festivals. It hosts Zhoushan International Sand Sculpture festival, Mount Putuo Nanhai Kwan-yin Cultural Festival, Zhoushan International Sailing Competition and Zhoushan International Sea Fishing Festival. Friends from home and abroad are all welcome in Zhoushan, the largest archipelago in China and a thoroughly enjoyable tourist destination.

Dinghai

As the biggest island of Zhoushan archipelago, Dinghai is the only historic and cultural island town in China with an area of 1,444 square kilometers and 128 islands. Dinghai has a long history that goes back as far. As early as about 6,000 years in the New Stone Age, as primitive man learn thrived in this area. The city has many sites, the Opium War Park, historic streets namely the Middle Street and Western Street built in the Qing Dynasty, antique buildings in various architectural styles, such as the Zuyin Temple and Collection of Emperors’ Handwritings, and former residences and historical sites of nearly one hundred famous figures, including Qiao Shi and Tung Chee-hwa. In the east of Dinghai, there is the Huangyangjian Mountain rich in natural landscapes, and Bandao Fishing Garden, which is perfect for recreation. More than fifty islands lie in the south of Dinghai. Wuzhishan Bird Island is a Provincially Ranked Bird Natural Preservation Area, where you can find the Mr. Ding Guangxun’s former residence.In the north, there is Ma’ao Town----the Hemudu at Sea the First Village in Island and the former residence of the famous Taiwanese author, Sanmao. The Joining Bridge lies in the west of Dinghai.

Shenjiamen

The people’s government of Putuo District is seated at Shenjiamen, the fish capital of China. Shenjiamen Port, Bergen Harbor in Norway and Callao Port in Peru, Shenjiamen port are named the three popular fishing ports in the world. Shenjiamen is also the largest distribution center of fresh fish. During fishing season, numerous fishing vessels from home and abroad dock in Shenjiamen Port, which is a spectacular view. If you like seafood, you cannot miss visiting Shenjiamen to sample exquisite fresh seafood. At night, over one hundred side stalls with green awnings line Binjiang Road along the side of Shenjiamen fishing Port. Many visitors come here and taste local seafood specialties. Flown in fresh daily or caught locally, combined with the chef’s recommendation, the food plus the calming feeling of the ocean breeze, and the night scene of the fishing port will certainly be an eating experience to remember.

Mount Putuo

Located in the southeast of Zhoushan archipelago, Mount Putuo is the Nationally Ranked scenic site. As a well-known Buddhist sanctum, Mount Putuo is the largest oblation place for Kwan-yin Bodhisattva, which has long been eminent in coastal areas of China and Sountheast Asia. The Buddhists from all over the world come to Mount Putuo and offer incense to Buddha all year around. The February 19th, June 19th and September 19th Chinese lunar calendar, as well as Mount Putuo Kwan-yin cultural festival and Mount Putuo spring travel festival are special celebration days of worship Buddha with strong stream of pilgrims visiting Mount Putuo. Over the past, one million visitors have come to Mount Putuo year by year.
There are many extraordinary peaks and unusual rocks and breathtaking scenery on Mount Putuo. Endowed with mountain, water, cliffs, caves, stones, sand and ancient trees, Mount Putuo is famous for tourist destination. It’s temples, shops, bridges, ponds, fountains and stone inscriptions are found all over the island intermingled with other natural landscapes. The ancients named this small island (total area 10 square kilometers) the “Number one Buddhist Paradise in China”, or “Buddhist Paradise amidst the Sea and Heaven”, certainly earthly paradise.

Zhujiajian Island

With a total area of 72 square kilometers, Zhujiajian Island is located in the eastern sea areas of Zhoushan city. Zhujiajian Island is an importance of Mount Putuo Nationally ranked scenic site and a great part of Putuo Golden Tourist Triangle in Zhoushan archipelago. The beautiful and attractive scenes are fundamentally composed with golden sand beaches, vast blue sea, sheer rocks, interlaced caves, illusory vision, widespread forest, everlasting wave sound and clean air, so that Zhujiajian Island is named as Mount Yandang at sea. There are four famous scenic spots on Zhujiajian Island: Black cobblestone dyke, Baishan, ten-mile sand beach, Daqingshan. As the largest sand beaches in East China, the ten-mile sand beach is formed by five interlinked big sand beaches-Qingsha, Lisha, Qiansha, Nansha and Dongsha. Since the Nansha sand beach is the most famous one among them, many competition and festival are held here, such as the Zhoushan International Sand Sculpture Festival, which hao been spotlight of Zhoushan and loved by emurous tourists greatly.

Taohua Island

Taohua Island is a small and peaceful island located in the lotus ocean of East China Sea,　and shares a marine channel with Mount Putuo. It is the Provincially ranked scenic site. A figure named Huang Yaoshi, in the novel Legend of the Condor Heroes written by Louis Cha lived on this island. In 2001, Zhang Jizhong, a famous Chinese film director, came here and shot a lot of exterior play for the TV series of Legend of the Condor Heroes. In 2002, Zhang Jizhong returned to Taohua Island to make a TV series Dragon Chronicles. With quiet and beautiful scenery, Taohua Island is rich in natural and human landscapes resources. Apart from the Movies & TV city, the first island filming base in China, Taohua Island has six scenic spots, Taohua Valley, Dafo Rock, Tawan Golden Sand Beach, Anqi Peak, Xuanbugu Island and Taohua Port, twelve landscapes and sixty feature spots. Besides, Taohua Island also has the highest peak in Zhoushan archipelago--Anqi Peak, the largest rock in southeast coastal areas of China--Dafo Rock, one-thousand-year-old temple where Kwan-yin practiced Buddhism--Baique Temple, including Taohua Village, Taohua Stone. Taohua Island, the bright pearl in the Golden Tourist Triangle, is becoming a dreaming destination for vacation and recreation.

Daishan Island

Daishan Island is also called as the Penglai fairyland. According to Chinese ancient legends, the First Emperor of Qin Dynasty built a fleet of big ships and sent Xu Fu, an alchemist, with thousands of virgin boys and girls recruited, on a voyage to distant fairy isles in search of the elixirs of life. Daishan Island is composed of 532 islands, which looks like many lotus flowers dispersed in East China Sea. The green isles, vast ocean, iron sand, odd reefs, ribbon and mirages at sea are wholly integrated to form unique scenery at sea. Su Dongpo (1037-1011), a poet and statesman of the Song Dynasty, was deeply impressed by the scenery of Daishan Island and wrote several wonderful poems. Ten Feature Spots in Penglai, written by a poet of the Qin Dynasty, vividly descried ten representative landscapes in Daishan Island. In order to further develop natural and human resources, the government builds typhoon museum where visitors can experience and understand nature and its power, as well as marine fishing museum, fishing village museum, sea salt museum, pharos museum, Xiushan Driving-on-mud theme park, and Lanxiu fishing village so on .The climate in Daishan is cool in summer and warm in winter. With so many natural and human landscapes, Daishan Island is an ideal destination for sightseeing, tourism, vacation and sports at sea.

Shengsi Isles

Located in the north of Zhoushan archipelago, inter-junction of Yangtze River estuary and Hangzhou Bay, Shengsi Isles is the unique Nationally Ranked scenic island in China. It shares a marine border with Shanghai, 17 nautical miles from Luchao Port of Shanghai to the west. The chain of islands under jurisdiction of Shengsi seems as if bright pearls are scatted in the East China Sea. Each isle has its own feature and charm. With magnificent scenery, vast ocean, scattered isles, beautiful landscapes and fairy stones, Shengsi Isles is particularly famous for its stretched golden sand beach, deep and quiet caves, cliffs and fishing ground. Endowed with natural landscapes such as vast sea, beautiful reefs, odd rocks, excellent sand beach and steep cliffs, along with its comfort subtropical monsoon climate, an ideal destination of tour, sightseeing, vacation, recreation, water sports. To date, it has been developed six strongly experiencing happy-fishermen’s behavior on behalf of Wulong district, provincially ranked fallow fishing base. Shengsi Isles is also rich in marine products. If you want to experience the fisherman’s life style, you cannot miss visiting Shengsi. You will be surely attracted by its unique island flavor and reluctant to leave.

Dongji Isles

Dongji Isles, also named as Zhongjieshan Isles, is the remote islands in our marginal sea, which almost kisses to the mare liberum. It is consisted of 28 islands and 108 reefs. Dongji possesses beautiful sea, in which there are Shiban fish, Hutou fish and weever so on appearing everywhere, as well as many famous and ferine seashells of Zhoushan can be extremely easy to obtain. The marvels in normal people’s eyes have not only brilliant and romantic island scenery, but also god-given peaceful environment out of city’s blatancy. Time brings a great change to the Island. To date, Dongji, taken government and investors’ elaborate effort, has been developed as a great tourist recreation with characteristics of mountain landscapes, fisherman’s life and especially sea angling so on, attracting more and more tourists all over the world.

Lincheng

Lincheng, located between Dinghai and Shenjiamen, is the politics, culture, education and other service center of Zhoushan and also modern ecotypic island city. Lincheng has 4.5 kilometers coastline, which planed 200-meter-wide sightseeing for recreation. The urban will be divided into four areas as education lot, marine culture park, sports center and inhabitation section. Changzhi Peninsula, linked by Xincheng bridge, is slap-up travel recreation, vacational entertainment and with first-class yacht harbor and golf course so on. At the meantime, the bridge, as a new tourist site, is decorated with sightseeing lights.