Top Attractions in Zhoushan

The Zhoushan Archipelago scatters across the East China Sea like strings of jade pearls, boasting over a thousand scenic spots featuring Buddhist culture, mountain-and-sea landscapes, island folk customs and historical heritage. Its breathtaking highlights include surging vast ocean waves, grotesque cliffs and rock caves, grand and elegant ancient temples, pristine expansive golden-sand bathing beaches, fishing harbors dotted with countless masts at night, and authentic rustic fishing village charm. Together, these form one-of-a-kind island and marine tourism resources, making Zhoushan a world-famous destination for sightseeing, summer retreats and wellness getaways. Integrating island vistas, marine culture and Buddhist heritage, Zhoushan holds two national-level scenic areas — Mount Putuo and the Shengsi Archipelago — plus two provincial-level scenic areas: Daishan and Taohua Island.

Surrounded by the sea on all sides, Mount Putuo features enchanting, ethereal scenery and is hailed as "The Purest Sacred Land on Earth". Its rock formations, ancient trees, temples, pagodas, cliff carvings, Buddhist chants and rolling waves are all steeped in the mystique of a Buddhist paradise. The island is blanketed in lush vegetation and ancient camphor trees, filled with birdsong and blooming flowers, earning it the nickname "Island Botanical Garden". Across the mountain stand 1,221 trees of 66 species aged over a hundred years. They include millennium-old camphors as well as the Putuo Hornbeam, a rare endangered species endemic to China and listed as a Class I national protected plant.

Golden sandy beaches stretch endlessly around the island, ringed by foaming white surf and sailing fishing boats. Verdant peaks, silver waves and golden shores frame numerous ancient monasteries, forming countless gorgeous scenic scrolls. Valleys and rock formations boast unique shapes: the Pantu Stone, Two Turtles Listening to Scriptures Stone, Heart Character Stone, Fanyin Cave, Chaoyin Cave and Chaoyang Cave each display distinctive, fascinating contours. The Twelve Scenic Wonders of Putuo range from precipitous to misty and exotic, stirring boundless imagination. Many historical relics are inextricably linked to Guanyin Bodhisattva, accompanied by touching timeless legends.

Known as the "Fairy Islands on the Sea", the Shengsi Archipelago is China’s sole national-level archipelago scenic area, renowned worldwide for its iconic coastal scenery of "azure seas, exotic reefs, golden sands and fishing lanterns at dusk".

The archipelago is split into four major scenic zones: Sijiao, Shengshan-Gouqi, Hualü and Yangshan, with around 60 scenic sites concentrated mainly on Sijiao, Huanglong, Shengshan and Huahua Islands. On Sijiao Island, the twin Jihu and Nanchangtu Beaches lie back-to-back, their golden sands stretching over 2,000 meters. The shoreline features gentle, clean sand, calm waters, boundless sky and sea, stunning mountain vistas and dense reefs, winning it the prestigious title "Beidaihe of the South". Huaniao Island boasts serene wooded valleys, wild daffodils and the Far East’s No.1 Lighthouse. Huanglong Island is dotted with bizarre rock formations and cliff inscriptions. Gouqi Island bears the massive landmark boulder "Marvel of Mountain and Sea". The reefs and steep jagged cliffs of Greater and Lesser Yangshan Islands present spectacular ever-changing coastal views…

Dongji collectively refers to three islands. Miaozihu Island receives the most tourists, while Dongfushan Island marks the easternmost inhabited landmass — said to be the origin of the idiom "blessings as boundless as the East China Sea". Dongji’s quiet charm lies in its seclusion. Occasional tourists wash ashore like fleeting tides, barely disturbing the stone houses built by local fishermen over generations. Locals follow the ancient rhythm of rising with the sun and resting at dusk, untouched by neon bustle and the commotion far across the sea.

Halfway through the ferry ride from Zhoushan, a clear dividing line cuts the seawater: murky yellow on one side, and vivid sapphire blue on the other. When typhoons loom, the weather shifts erratically under a hazy mist blurring sea and sky, leaving visitors unsure whether the ocean mirrors the heavens or the sky reflects the waves. One can only gaze peacefully, contemplating how this sea has endured through all the vicissitudes of time, enduring endless tides and calmly draping the shore with its waters time after time.

Legend holds that Xiushan Island is Fangzhang Isle, one of the three sacred fairy mountains of the sea.

Xiushan Island is blessed with green mountains, clear waters, soft flat beaches, crystal-blue seas, jagged exotic peaks and dense lush forests. The great poet Su Dongpo once composed a beautiful line here: Blue hills sway, Xiushan dances;

White peach blossoms half emerge, half retreat. It vividly captures the dynamic tide movements and shimmering mountain silhouettes across the island. Key attractions include the Mud Entertainment Theme Park, coastal bathing beach, Xiushan Beach Group, Jiuzi Buddhist Isle, Longevity Chan Temple, ancestral halls of the Li clan, the five branches of the Li family, and Lion Rock.

Visitors to Xiushan mainly experience authentic fisherman homestay getaways and the laid-back life of coastal fishermen. By day, guests can enjoy activities at the mud park: mud baths, mud therapy, mud fishing, primitive mud sliding, wooden tub mud rides, mud sports competitions, slimming mud treatments, mud climbing and mud slides. Along the shore, visitors gather shellfish and conchs, play in the surf, enjoy beach volleyball, offshore angling, fishing trips, net shrimp trapping and crab cage fishing. At night, stay with local fishermen, savor genuine coastal cuisine and watch breathtaking sunsets over the sea.

Taohua Island Scenic Area encompasses six major zones: Taohua Valley, Giant Buddha Rock, Tawan Golden Sand Beach, Anqi Peak, Huanbolugu Isle and Taohua Harbour, featuring 12 core landscapes and over 60 scenic spots. Highlights include the Legend of the Condor Heroes Film City, China’s only island film and television base; Anqi Peak, the highest summit in the Zhoushan Archipelago; Taohua Harbour, Zhoushan’s deepest port; Giant Buddha Rock, the largest monolith along the southeast coast; and White Sparrow Temple, said to be where Guanyin lived and practiced as a mortal. With affectionate blue seas and charming greenery, it truly lives up to its reputation as a "Fairy Isle and Paradise on the Sea".

Though unremarkable among China’s countless scenic spots, Lesser Yangshan preserves a peace and tranquility long lost in more crowded tourist destinations. Tide chasing on the island in summer is an unforgettable joy: hunting small crabs, digging razor clams, scooping hard-shell clams and collecting seashells on the beach transport visitors back to their childhood.

Steep craggy cliffs flank winding paths lined with exotic rock formations, with a new scenic view every few steps. Hiking through mountains and woods, travelers traverse narrow trails and thick forests, hopping over boulders to spot rare stone wonders: the Divine Dragon Rock, Sister Stones, Dragon Suppressing Rock, Water Mill Spherical Stones and Twin Dragons Watching the Tides. The Divine Dragon Rock and Turtle Rock rank as the most stunning.

The island’s other renowned landmark is the Lesser Guanyin Mountain Cliff Inscription Cluster. Eight sets of ancient stone carvings cover the small mountain, piled with massive boulders like a natural stone monument complex crafted by skilled artisans. Carved into a stone plaque atop the mountain’s cliff face are four characters Vast Sea and Boundless Sky, inscribed by Zhang Wenzhi, military defense officer in the 36th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty — the oldest surviving inscription on the entire island.