Mount Putuo

Big Incense Burner inside a Temple of Putuo

Mount Putuo lies to the east of Zhoushan City. Zhoushan City is situated on Zhoushan Island that in turn gives its name to a group of some four hundred small islands off the east coast of China in Zhejiang Province. These islands are in fact the peaks of submerged mountains and so rise steeply from the sea. 

The Putuo Mountain dominates the small rhomboidal land mass with its total area of about 12.5 square kilometres (4.8 square miles). The mountain is of one of four in the country that are held sacred by Buddhists and it was here that over the centuries a large Buddhist community was once to evolve. Putuoshan Guanyin Statue is always a holy site for the Buddhist followers.
 

Great Kwan-yin Statue of Mount Putuo  Pictures

 

The Putuoshan Island's scenic beauty meant it was the perfect setting for temples and other religious buildings. In due course, it became known as the 'Heaven of the Sea and Kingdom of the Buddhists'. In its heyday, Mount Putuo had eighty-two temples and nunneries together with some one hundred and twenty-eight shelters that between them housing 4,000 Buddhist monks and nuns. Even today visitors to the island will encounter monks in their traditional robes as they walk along the many paths that criss-cross the picturesque landscape.

 

This temple dates from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and covers 11,000 square meters (2.7 acres).

 

Construction of the temple commenced during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the buildings hug the mountainside in the seclusion of lofty and ancient trees.

 

This is known also as the Buddhist Hilltop Temple (Fodingshan) on account of its elevated position.
 

The majority of the island is covered with rich green forests that form a tranquil setting appropriate to a place of quiet religious contemplation. It is here that magnificent and protected hornbeams grow as well as the famous one-thousand-year-old camphor tree, a particularly fine tree species with a circumference measuring 6 meters (20 feet). 
 

The sandy shores of the island are also special features and particularly attractive to tourists are the bays known as 'The Thousand-Step Sands' with its 1.5 kilometer (0.9 mile) beach and the smaller 'Hundred-Step Sands'. These fine Putuoshan Island beaches are very popular with bathers and also have entertainment facilities.

It is small wonder that this island is famed for having such a delightful combination of mountain scenery and seascapes.
 

Mount Putuo is an ideal travel destinations in all season, but it is most beautiful in autumn, especially for those wishing to admire sunrise from the sea.

 

Hangzhou Bus / Metro Search
Below are schedules of buses from Hangzhou to Putuoshan Long Distance Passenger Transport Station. Upon arrival, change bus no. 6 to Banshengdong Wharf or bus no. 27 to Zhujiajian Wugongzhi Wharf. Then take ferry to reach there.

From	Departure Time	Ticket Price	Duration
South Bus Station	06:38 - 18:55 with an inetrval of about 40 - 50 minutes	CNY 106	5 hours
Passenger Transport Central Station	07:00 - 18:45 with an interval of 30 - 60 minutes	CNY 106	6 hours
Huanglong Tourist Center	07:40, 09:15, 12:50	CNY 100	4.5 hours

 By Bus:
From Shanghai to Putuoshan, there are buses reaching Zhujiajian Wugongzhi Wharf.

From	Departure Time	Ticket Price	Duration
South Long Distance Bus Station	08:00	CNY 138	4.5 or 5 hours
Shanghai Tour Bus Center	07:00 - 18:45 with an interval of 30 - 60 minutes	CNY 138	4.5 or 5 hours

By Shanghai to Putuoshan Ferry:
 

From	Departure Time	Ticket Price	Duration
Wusong Passenger Transport Center	20:00	2-seat VIP cabin: CNY 499 per person; 2-seat Special class cabin: CNY 449 per person;  4-seat Second class (A type) cabin: CNY 289 per person; 4-seat Second class (B type) cabin: CNY 269 per person; 8-seat Third class (A type) cabin: CNY 199 per person; 8-seat Third class (B type) cabin: CNY 159 per person; 12-seat Fourth class (A type) cabin: CNY 139 per person;	12.5 hours
Xiaoyangshan Passenger Transport Wharf	10:20am	CNY 258 for a standard class seat; CNY 302 for a first-class seat; CNY 352 for a VIP seat;	2 hours and 20 minutes
Jinshanzui Car & Passenger Transport Wharf	08:45am	CNY 238 for a standard class seat; CNY 268 for a first-class seat; CNY 398 for a VIP seat.	2.5 hours

Notice: 
1. The ferry/speedboat might be cancelled because of bad weather. And the schedules might be adjusted without prior notice.
2. Passengers take free shuttle bus (departing at 08:30) from Huangpu Tourist Center near Nanpu Bridge to the Xiaoyangshan Passenger Transport Wharf and then catch the speedboat to reach Putuoshan Wharf.
 Take buses from Ningbo to Putuoshan at one of the following bus stations. Upon arrival, change bus no. 6 to Banshengdong and then get there by speedboat. Boat fare is CNY 28.
 

From	Departure Time	Ticket Price	Duration
South Bus Station	05:55 - 22:00 with an interval of 10 - 50 minutes	CNY 57/61	2 to 2.5 hours
North Bus Station	06:50 - 16:55 with an interval of about 1h	CNY 52
East Bus Station	07:20 - 16:50 with an interval of 1-2h	CNY 52

 Visitors should take tourism buses or go on foot to visit the attractions because there is no taxi. Two tourism bus lines are operated from 06:00 to 18:00 in summer and autumn, and from 07:00 to 17:00 in winter and spring. Ticket prices are from CNY 5 to 10.

To visit Luojia Hill, visitors should take ferry from Duangu Wharf. It costs CNY 26 (one-way trip) and CNY 52 (round-trip) by regular boat, and CNY 33 (one-way trip) and CNY 66 (round-trip) by high speed boat. The schedules are listed below:

Duangu Wharf: 07:00, 08:00, 13:00
Luojia Hill: 09:00, 10:00, 15:00
 

Entrance Fee

Entrance charge: Dec. - Jan.: CNY 120 Feb. - Nov.: CNY 160 CNY 180 from Jan. 1 to 5 on Chinese lunar calendar, and May 1 to 3 and Oct. 1 to 5 on solar calendar. Notice: 1. Free for children no taller than 1.2 meters (3.9 feet). 2. Children from 1.2 to 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) can enjoy half-price tickets. Excluding: CNY 5 for the Puji Temple CNY 5 for the Fayu Temple CNY 5 for the Huiji Temple CNY 5 for the Purple Bamboo Forest Putuoshan (Zizhu Lin) CNY 6 for the Standing Kwan-yin Statue CNY 18 for the Luojia Hill CNY 70 for the round-trip cable car or CNY 40 for the one-way cable car

Opening Times

The whole day