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Putuoshan (literally means Mount Putuo) is an island at the east part of Zhoushan Archipelago - consisting out of more than 1000 islands - about half way between Shanghai and Ningbo. It is one of the four buddhist mountains of China. Others are Wutaishan, E'meishan and Jiuhuashan. The four Chinese Buddhist Mountains are each believed to be dominated by a major buddha; Putuoshan is regarded as the sacred mountain of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, and so statues of Guanyin are a dominant theme here.

Putuoshan covers an area of only 12.5 km². Its circumference is only 33 km. It has 3000 to 4000 inhabitants of whom about 1000 are monks and nuns. The largest buildings are four storeys tall. Most are two storeys and in old architecture.

The island is famous for its old religion culture and unique island scenery. There are many wonderful scenic sites on the island, including temples, nunneries, beaches, exotic rocks, etc. The island is known for its rugged terrain and exquisite landscape, featuring an array of temples, pagodas, arched bridges, narrow alleys, fishing boats, and artisans' shops.

"Putuo" is a Chinese name for "Potalaka," the place where Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin) resides according to the Buddism.

In the old Buddhist scriptures you can find a sutra, the Hua-yen-ching sutra, that chronicles the travels of the pilgrim Sudhana (Shan ts’ai), who after a long search, finds Guanyin on Mount Potalaka. There, in a clearing in the woods, seated on a diamond boulder, she instructs him in the dharma. Another scripture, the Sutra of the thousand armed, thousand eyed Guanyin Great Compassionate-heart Dharani, is set on Mount Potalaka, where Guanyin hosts the Buddha and teaches the dharani (magical invocation) to an assembly of bodhisattvas. (The Mount Potalaka of the scriptures also gave its name to the ancestral home of Tibet’s Dalai Lama, the Potala Palace, because the Dalai Lama is believed to be a reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara or Guanyin.)

Putuoshan is known as 'Buddhist country amidst sea and sky'. It is also referred to as 'Oceanside paradise and Buddhist realm' and as 'The first sacred place in the world'. The island is green, tranquil and almost traffic-free. Putuoshan is not only the national center of Guanyin pilgrimage, but also the international pilgrimage center of Guanyin of the South Sea.

For information or reservation call or send an e-mail to Chen Zhongyu ((0580)6091227) in Putuoshan.

This page is made by Anthony Debyser. For comment on this page send an e-mail to adebyser@hotmail.com