PLACE GUIDE

Mount Putuo 普陀山

Putuo Shan

Mount Putuo is an island pilgrimage landscape devoted to Guanyin, combining temple compounds with wooded hills and shorelines.

A coastal path on Mount Putuo.
A coastal path on Mount Putuo. Photograph date recorded by the source: 2006-09. · Don-kun · CC BY 3.0
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Explore the region

Zhejiang · 浙江省 →Zhoushan · 舟山市 →

About Mount Putuo

Puji and Fayu temples are major religious anchors, while the large Guanyin image at Zizhulin creates a prominent coastal landmark. Choose a limited island circuit after checking the ferry connection, rather than treating every temple and beach as one short walk. Foding Mountain and more distant temple areas require additional planning, and temple worship continues alongside sightseeing.

According to local tradition, the island's former name, Meicen Mountain (梅岑山), refers to the hermit Mei Fu (梅福). During the Song dynasty, worshippers identified its landscape with Potalaka (补怛洛伽山), the abode of Guanyin (观音菩萨) described in the Avatamsaka Sutra (华严经). That identification gradually changed the island's name.

The three principal monasteries have different foundation dates: Puji Temple (普济禅寺) in the tenth century, Fayu Temple (法雨禅寺) in 1580 and Huiji Temple (慧济禅寺) in 1793. Temple buildings and images suffered extensive damage during 1966–1976. The island has more than thirty major temples, as well as a Buddhist academic institute, and draws monks and nuns from elsewhere in China and abroad for religious study and practice.

What to look for

  • Puji and Fayu temples form major centres of the island’s Guanyin devotion.
  • The large Guanyin image at Zizhulin creates a distinctive coastal landmark.

Background & history

Mount Putuo (Chinese: 普陀山; pinyin: Pǔtuó Shān, from Sanskrit: "Mount Potalaka") is an island in Putuo District, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, China. It is a renowned site in Chinese Buddhism and is the bodhimaṇḍa of the bodhisattva Guanyin. Mount Putuo is one of the four sacred mountains in Chinese Buddhism, the others being Mount Wutai, Mount Jiuhua, and Mount Emei (bodhimaṇḍas for Manjushri, Kṣitigarbha, and Samantabhadra, respectively). Mount Putuo lies in the East China Sea and incorporates the beauty of both mountain and sea. Mountain Putuo is at 29°58′3～30°02′3 north latitude, 122°21′6～122°24′9 east longitude. Its area is approximately 12.5 square kilometres (4.8 sq mi) and there are numerous famous temples. Every year on the 19th day of the 2nd, 6th and 9th lunar months of the Chinese calendar, it welcomes millions of people for the celebration of the birth of Guanyin.

Excerpt from Wikipedia: Mount Putuo · Wikipedia contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected introductory sentences; formatting simplified. Background information, not current visitor-service advice.

Location & getting there

Getting to Mount Putuo

Travel to Zhujiajian’s Wugongzhi passenger terminal and confirm the sailing to Putuoshan passenger terminal. Check the return service and sea conditions before planning the island circuit.

General visit reminders

Choose the building, exhibition or part of the historic area you most want to see, then leave time to explore its setting. Check the venue’s current opening and reservation arrangements directly; a place appearing on the map does not mean every building or gallery is accessible on your travel date.

Combine your visit

A suggested sequence linking the specific features of this visit.

  1. Puji Temple

    Begin with a principal religious compound.

  2. Fayu Temple

    Compare a second temple setting using the available island connection.

  3. Zizhulin Guanyin image

    Finish with the coastal landmark if the return-ferry plan allows.

This order is editorial. Confirm access and any transfers between stops; it does not establish a walking route, same-day connection or common admission ticket.

Historic sites & architecture · 历史古迹／建筑 →

Find Mount Putuo

普陀山 · 舟山市

Amap · 高德地图Approximate pin · 近似位置Apple Maps · 苹果地图

The pin marks the area, not the entrance.

More places nearby

Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.

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Sources & visit information

The sources below support the place-specific description and arrival information. Suggested combinations are editorial planning ideas; confirm current opening, entry arrangements and transport services for your date.

Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors, “Mount Putuo” · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1361645014.

Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "普陀山", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 91691910.

Background paragraphs condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "Mount Putuo", English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1361645014.

China Revealed · Editorially updated 2026-10-07