Ep. 115: The Nanhai Guanyin, Putuoshan

Or, Guanyin of the South Seas on Mount Potalaka

(This account from my journal for August 20, 2009, is adapted from an article in the Shenzhen Daily over two years later; a much longer account of this day, with lots more pictures and LOTS more words, was offered in Episode 056.)

The day after my return from Hangzhou, I went to Putuoshan, one of the "Four Buddhist Mountains" of China. (The others are Wutaishan in Shanxi, Jiuhuashan in Anhui, and--theonly one I haven't been to--Emeishan in Sichuan.

Travelers' Note:

The best way to get to Putuo Shan is by direct bus from central Ningbo, by bridge to Zhoushan Island and then to the short ferry to Putuo Shan's island. As I was staying in Beilun, far from the center of Ningbo, I took a taxi to Beilun port, then a l-o-o-ng local bus ride along Zhoushan before reaching the final ferry.

Landing on the island, I caught a shuttle bus to the Purple Bamboo Hotel, where I checked in before taking an evening walk up to the area around Puji Temple. Outside the gates of the temple I saw the beautiful Duobao ("Plentiful Treasure") Pagoda, the oldest building on the island, dating back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). However, I wouldn't enter the temple grounds until two days later (see Episode 117).