Putuo Mountain

[Photo/en.tourzj.com]

Putuo Mountain, one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains, is located in the estuary of the Qiantang River, southeast of the Zhoushan Archipelago. It is the only island both abundant with spectacular natural beauty and religious history. Putuo Mountain is one of the first national key scenic spots and listed as a National AAAAA level scenic resort in 2007 (In China, the rating system of A to AAAAA is used to evaluate the quality of a scenic area with AAAAA the best). Having a long history of Buddhist culture and excellent island scenery, Putuo Mountain is regarded as "a Realm of Buddhism on the sea" and "a Penglai Wonderland".

[Photo/en.tourzj.com]

Putuo Mountain is a world-famous Buddhist shrine. The history of religious activity goes back to the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC). During the Tang Dynasty (618AD-907 AD), with the increasing development of the Maritime Silk Road, Putuo Mountain enjoyed geographical advantages and quickly became the center of Chinese Buddhism. By the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644AD-1911AD), there were three major temples, 88 convents, 128 thatched shrines and thousands of monks on Putuo Mountain. It is said that the mountain accommodated so many temples that nearly every corner is dotted with a temple and visitors could meet monks at the end of each path.