Visiting Putuoshan, China's Buddhist Holy Mountain in the East

Pronounced “poo tuoh shan”, meaning beautiful white flower in Mandarin, Putuoshan is the Buddhist holy mountain in the east. The other Buddhist holy mountains are

• Wutai Shan (north)
• Jiuhua Shan (south)
• Emei Shan (west)

The temples here are dedicated to Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, or Guanyin, the goddess of mercy and compassion.

The island is a national park and garners an entrance fee (not inclusive of inexpensive entry fees for temples and other attractions).

Putuoshan is located on a small island off the coast of Zhejiang province in the East China Sea. It is easily (and best) accessible from Shanghai. (See Getting There below.)

While there are many legends surrounding the establishment of Putuoshan as a Buddhist sanctuary, the most-repeated is that during the ninth century, a Japanese monk making his way from China back to Japan carrying a statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, was caught in a storm. The Goddess appeared and told him to leave the statue and guided him to safety at Putuoshan where he erected a temple (Puji Si) in her honor.

Currently about one-third of the population of 3,000 are nuns and monks. Today the island attracts numerous pilgrims and holiday makers.

• Visit the three famous temples: Puji, Fayu and Huiji.
• Walk and hike around the whole island. Only 12.5 square km, it can be circumnavigated in a day.
• Try the beaches in the summer; the two most famous are the Hundred Step Beach and the Thousand Step Beach.
• Hike up to the top of 297m highest peak and site of Huiji Temple for views of the island and the sea.
• There are minibuses that you can hop on and off of when you tire of walking and a cable car that will take non-hikers up and down the peak.

Putuoshan is accessible by ferry from Shanghai. There are two daily ferries:

• 12-hour night ferry
• 3-hour high-speed ferry (leaves mid-day).

Buses leave from downtown to the ferry wharf and tickets can be organized through hotel concierges.

There are many hotels and hostels on Putuoshan. There is a hotel counter at the ferry wharf where you can find available accommodation but it’s best to book in advance during peak (summer) months. Two recommendations are

• Purple Bamboo Hotel, tel +86 58 0669 8001
• Putuoshan Hotel, tel +86 58 0609 2828