Putuoshan

Transport

The transport to Putuoshan is quite easy. Passenger vessels reach directly Putuoshan from Shanghai, Ningbo, Fuzhou and Shenjiamen. A high-speed hydrofoil went into operation between Ningbo and Putuoshan in June 1990. You must take a bus from Shiliupu Quay (Number 16 pier) in Shanghai, about a kilometer south of the Peace Hotel. One and a half hour later it arrives at a wharf in Luchaogang where a hoverferry waits to take you to Putuoshan. This takes another three and a half hours. 

A second combination which is cheaper but longer (about 13 hours) leaves number 16 pier and gets you a ferry at Jingshan. These boats are the easiest way to get to Putuoshan from Shanghai, but they are dependant on the weather. The advantage is that the trip happens during the night, so you don't waste time (or money for a hotel). The journey itself is magnificent: as the boat pulls out into the Huangpu, you can watch the Bund of Shanghai, with its many huge buildings, go past. It is getting darker when you reach the famous Nanpu bridge. Soon afterwards, the great sprawl of Shanghai's docks slips by in the dusk: as darkness falls, strings of barges go up and down the river and cranes on the banks unload towering container ships under the glare of arc lights until at last you reach the estuary of the Yangzi. An utterly different scene confronts you the next morning. The boat is out in the East China Sea picking its way between countless rocky islands. You finally arrive at your destination around breakfast time.

Putuoshan Airport has airlines to Shanghai, Beijing, Xiamen, Jinjiang, Guangzhou and Shantou. Cars and busses can reach Shenjiamen by ferry.

Putuoshan has a convenient transportation system, the roads on the island have formed a belt. The central bus stop is close to Puji Temple; look for Multi-Treasure Pagoda, a small, three-storey tower. Bus One takes you to the main ferry quay (ma tou) and then south to the big statue of Guanyin. From there you can walk to the Don't Want to Leave Temple, Purple Bamboo Temple and the Guanyin Footprint. Bus Two goes to the same ferry quay, the big statue, and then north to the Fayu Temple. From Fayu Temple you can get another bus to the ropeway up to the Hui Ji Temple.

Two roads lead from the harbor where the ferry docks to the island's only village, about 1 km to the north. This is where you'll find accommodation, and it's a good place to get your bearings. Putuoshan is small enough to explore on foot, and you can pass the time very pleasantly strolling along the paths between the temples, beaches, and the village, pausing every now and then to admire the constantly changing view of the sea and nearby islands.

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

Last modification: 10/11/2003

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