View source for Mount Putuo

{{Short description|Island in Zhoushan, China}}
[[File:Putuo Shan 2006 3.JPG|thumb|right|View of Mount Putuo]]
{{Infobox Chinese
|pic=Putuo shan (Chinese characters).svg
|piccap="Mount Putuo" in Chinese characters
|picsize=135px
|c=普陀山
|l=(from [[Sanskrit]]) "Mount [[Potalaka]]"
|w=P'u<sup>3</sup>-t'o<sup>2</sup> shan<sup>1</sup>
|p=Pǔtuó shān
|mi={{IPAc-cmn|p|u|3|t|uo|2|-|sh|an|1}}
|wuu=Phù-dou sẽ
|j=Pou2-to4 saan1
|y=Póu-tòh sāan
|tl=Phóo-tôo san
}}
[[File:THE ISLAND OF PUTO.jpg|thumb|Photograph by Scottish photographer [[John Thomson (photographer)|John Thomson]], 1867.]]
[[File:DV239 Mount Putuo, China.jpg|thumb|Building on Mount Putuo, 1899]]
[[File:Model of Putuo Shan island.JPG|thumb|Plan of the Mount Putuo]]
[[File:Statue of Guanyin, Mt Putuo, China.jpg|thumb|Mount Putuo Guanyin]]
[[File:Putuo Shan lake and pavillons.JPG|thumb|Putuo Shan lake and pavilions]]
{{Chinese Buddhism}}
'''Mount Putuo''' ({{zh|c=普陀山|p=Pǔtuó Shān}}, from [[Sanskrit]]: "[[Mount Potalaka]]") is an [[island]] in [[Putuo District, Zhoushan|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 [[Sacred Mountains of China#Sacred Mountains of Buddhism|four sacred mountains in Chinese Buddhism]], the others being [[Mount Wutai]], [[Mount Jiuhua]], and [[Mount Emei]] (bodhimaṇḍas for [[Manjushri]], [[Kṣitigarbha]], and [[Samantabhadra (Bodhisattva)|Samantabhadra]], respectively).{{Explain|date=March 2023}}

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.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Mountain Putuo Tour Guide|publisher=Zhonghua Book Company|year=2000|isbn=9787101026894}}</ref> Its area is approximately {{convert|12.5|km2}} and there are numerous famous temples. Every year on the 19th day of the 2nd lunar month, 19th day of the 6th lunar month, and 19th day of the 9th lunar month of the [[Chinese calendar]], it welcomes millions of people for the celebration of the birth of Guanyin.

== History ==
Mount Putuo has been a pilgrimage site for over a thousand years.<ref>{{cite web |title=THE COMPLETE MAP OF THE IMPERIALLY ESTABLISHED SOUTH SEA MOUNT PUTUO AREA |url=https://pilgrimage.asiasociety.org/artifacts/the-complete-map-imperially-established-south-sea-mount-putuo-area |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127031823/https://pilgrimage.asiasociety.org/artifacts/the-complete-map-imperially-established-south-sea-mount-putuo-area |archive-date=2022-11-27 |website=pilgrimage.asiasociety.org |publisher=[[Asia Society]]}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Puto (Pooto, Pouto, or Poo-teon-shan) |url=https://www.biblicalcyclopedia.com/P/puto-(pooto-pouto-or-poo-teon-shan).html |access-date=2023-03-01 |website=McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia Online |publisher=StudyLamp Software |language=en}}</ref> After the [[Tang dynasty]], Mount Putuo became a center of Guanyin worship.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/island-of-guanyin-9780190456191?cc=th&lang=en&|title= M.Bingenheimer: Island of Guanyin|date= 5 May 2016|publisher=[[OUP]]|isbn= 978-0-19-045619-1}}</ref> Traditionally there were three main temples: the [[Puji Temple]] ({{zh|t=普濟寺|labels=no}}, founded in 10th century), the [[Fayu Temple]] ({{zh|t=法雨寺|labels=no}}, founded 1580 CE), and the [[Huiji Temple (Mount Putuo)|Huiji Temple]] ({{zh|t=慧濟寺|labels=no}}, founded 1793 CE). The site has received numerous renowned visitors over the ages, including the then 20-year-old future Chan master Yinyuan Longqi (Japanese: [[Ingen]]), who came to the site in 1612, while looking for his father, who had disappeared fifteen years earlier.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

[[Taixu]] spent several years in solitary retreat at a small hermitage on Putuo.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

== Temples ==
*Putuo is covered with many temples and monasteries,<ref name=":1" /> both large and small. All are under the directive of the [[Buddhist Association of China]]. Many monks and nuns from all over the country, and abroad, go to great lengths to live and practice there. Today, there are more than 30 major temples located at Mount Putuo,<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/482251/Mount-Putuo-Island mount Putuo Island]. ''Encyclopædia Britannica''.</ref> including the Puji, Fayu, and Huiji Temples.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}
*In addition to these monasteries, there is the Institute of Buddhism, one of the largest Buddhist academic institutes in China.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

<gallery>
File:Taizita.jpg|Duo Bao Pagoda
File:Puji Temple on Putuo Shan island.JPG|[[Puji Temple]]
File:Entrance hall of Fayu Temple on Putuo Shan island in China.JPG|[[Fayu Temple]]
File:Putuo Shan 2006 2.JPG|[[Huiji Temple (Mount Putuo)|Huiji Temple]] 
</gallery>

== Vegetation ==
There are 238 species of natural trees and shrubs in Putuo Mountain, including 63 species of rare and precious ancient trees and more than 100 years old, belonging to 37 families and 53 genera, with the largest number of eucalyptus trees.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_7e5f6fa50102v308.html|title=Ancient and valuable tree}}</ref>

The list of plants in Mountain Putuo:

* ''[[Podocarpus macrophyllus]]'', belongs to Podocarpaceae, evergreen tree. There are 78 strains of Podocarpus in Mountain Putuo for more than 100 years.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://www.docin.com/p-542784689.html|title=Introduction of main tree species and their uses（in Chinese）}}</ref>
* ''[[Ginkgo biloba]]'' belong to Ginkgoaceae. Ginkgo biloba grows slowly and has a very long life span of more than a thousand years. There are 10 large ginkgo in the Mountain Putuo.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.superuu.com/gonglue2/article10227.html|title=First lecture: putuo mountain, ancient trees and famous trees (in Chinese)}}</ref>
* ''[[Liquidambar formosana]]'' belongs to Hamamelidaceae, deciduous tree. There are 67 trees of more than 100 years of maple trees on Mount Putuo.
* ''[[Celtis tetrandra]]'' belongs to Ulmaceae, deciduous trees. The Putuo Mountain has a wide natural distribution, and there are 282 ancient trees totally.
* ''[[Ilex integra]]'' belongs to Aquifoliaceae, evergreen trees. The crown is beautiful, resistant to wind, drought-resistant, and adaptable. There are scattered distributions throughout the Mountain Putuo The largest one is after Guanyindong Mountain, and the age of the tree is about 400 years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.superuu.com/gonglue2/article10228.html|title=Continued: Putuo Mountain, ancient and famous trees}}</ref>

The rare plant

* ''[[Carpinus putoensis]]'', belong to Betulaceae, only found in Mountain Putuo.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=ZHAO Ciliang, OU Danyan, HU Junfei|display-authors=etal|date=February 2009|title=Resource Evaluation and Protection Countermeasure of Ancient and Famous Trees in Putuo Mountain|journal=Journal of Zhejiang Ocean University (Natural Science)}}</ref> It is on the west side of Huiji Temple in Foding Mountain.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=July 2010|title=The Biological Reason for Endangerment of Carpinus putoensis and Measures for Gene Conservation|journal=Scientia Silvae Sinicae}}</ref> The age of the tree is over 200 years and the height of the tree is about 12.5 meters.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=zheng zhong|title=Distribution Status and Protection Countermeasures of Key Protected Tree Species in Putuo Mountain（in Chinese）|journal=Modern Agricultural Science and Technology|volume=21|pages=2|doi=10.3969/j.issn.1007-5739.2010.21.164 |via=10.3969/j.issn.1007-5739.2010.21.164}}</ref> In 1999, it was listed as a national key protected wild plant, and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) listed as a critically endangered grade (CR).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kib.ac.cn/xwzx/kyjz/201604/t20160426_4591396.html|title="The only son of the earth" - Putuo horns settled in Kunming Botanical Garden (in Chinese)}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hai Ren, Qianmei Zhang, Hongfang Lu, Hongxiao Liu, Qinfeng Guo, Jun Wang, Shuguang Jian, Hai’ou Bao|date=2012|title=Wild Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations Require Conservation and Reintroduction in China|journal=Ambio|volume=41|issue=8|pages=913–917|doi=10.1007/s13280-012-0284-3|pmid=22562355|pmc=3492560|bibcode=2012Ambio..41..913R }}</ref>
*''[[Neolitsea sericea]]'' belongs to Lauraceae evergreen tree. Its young leaves densely covered with silky, yellow-brown hairs which appear golden in the sunshine can be the characteristic of this tree.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=ZHONG-SHENG WANG SHU-QING AN HONG LIU XIN LENG JIAN-WEI ZHENG YU-HONG LIU|date=2 January 2005|title=Genetic Structure of the Endangered Plant Neolitsea sericea (Lauraceae) from the Zhoushan Archipelago Using RAPD Markers|journal=Annals of Botany|volume=95|issue=2|pages=305–313|url=https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mci027|doi=10.1093/aob/mci027|pmid=15546928|pmc=4246830}}</ref> It is located under the hillside of Foding Mountain.<ref name=":0" /> Neolitsea sericea is currently listed as an endangered plant in China.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=LG Fu|date=1992|title=Chinese plant red book|journal=Science Press}}</ref>

== Other features ==
*{{cvt|33|m}} tall statue of the [[Guanyin]] at Zizhulin ({{zh|c=紫竹林|labels=no}})
*Two major beaches: Hundred Step Beach and Thousand Step Beach. Hundred Step Beach charges for entry and has facilities such as deckchairs and parasols, and activities such as a banana boat and quad bikes.
*The only surviving specimen of ''[[Carpinus putoensis]]'', a [[critically endangered]] species.

== Transport ==
[[File:普陀山.不肯去观音院 - panoramio.jpg|left|thumb|283x283px|Statue of Ekādaśamukha or the Eleven-Headed Guanyin ({{zh|c=十一面觀音|p=Shíyīmiàn Guānyīn}}) in [[:zh:不肯去观音院|Bukenqu Guanyin Yard]] (不肯去觀音院), one of the numerous temples on Mount Putuo]]
Many of the Zhoushan Islands are now linked by bridges. This means that Putuoshan can easily be reached by bus from [[Shanghai]] and [[Ningbo]]. The bus terminates at Shenjiamen Bus Station. From the Banshengdong Wharf on the Shenjiamen waterfront it is a 10-minute ride by fast ferry (22 [[RMB]]) to Putuoshan. In Shanghai, the Nanpu Bridge Bus Station, Shanghai Stadium Sightseeing Bus Center and Shanghai South Long Distance Bus Station have several departures daily to Shenjiamen (4–5 hours, 138 RMB). In Ningbo, the North and South bus stations both have regular daily departures to Shenjiamen (2–3 hours, 60 RMB).

There are two flights daily from [[Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport]] to Putuo Airport, which is only {{convert|3|km|abbr=on}} from Shenjiamen (approx 800 RMB).

The ferry services mentioned below are still{{when|date=April 2017}} available but the bus services now provide a greater level of convenience and comfort. Putuoshan can be reached by boat from the major cities of Ningbo and Shanghai. It will take approximately an hour by boat to reach the wharf at Ningbo, from where a bus transports passengers to Ningbo city centre. There are two boats linking Putuoshan and Shanghai. One departs in the evening and travels overnight, arriving in the early morning; the other leaves early in the day from a wharf outside of Shanghai city centre but takes less than two hours.

The transportation system of Mountain Putuo is very special. Private cars are not allowed there, and people can only rely on public transport. The reason for this rule is because the area of Putuo Mountain is very small, and only one road runs through the entire island. It is therefore necessary to control the number of cars on the island to avoid traffic congestion. At the same time, excessive vehicle emissions will affect the environment and air quality of Mountain Putuo. In addition, Putuo Mount is mountainous, so buses are not flexible enough for people to travel. And as there are thousands of tourists coming to Mountain Putuo and the number of buses is far from enough, the cable car has become another important means of transportation.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

== Weather ==
It is an Asian warm-temperate moist climate (''Cfa'') and has four distinct seasons. It has plenty of rain and fog. The average temperature of whole year is {{convert|16.1|°C|°F|0}}. The coldest month is January, average temperature is {{convert|5.4|°C|°F|0}}. The hottest month is August, temperature is {{convert|27.0|°C|°F|0}}. It has typhoon season on July, August and September. The average speed of wind is {{convert|4.2|to|5.7|m/s|km/h|0}}.

The Mount Putuo has all-year-round travel seasons, but in regard to when and where to get on the island, tourists should be careful and check the weather forecast beforehand.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

==Miscellaneous==
In 2013 the Chinese religious film ''[[Avalokitesvara (film)|Avalokitesvara]]'' tells the origin of Mount Putuo as the bodhimanda of [[Guanyin]] Bodhisattva. The film was filmed onsite at Mount Putuo.  It was also selected as one of the World Great films during the 37th [[Montreal World Film Festival]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Mount Putuo}}
*{{Wikivoyage inline}}

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{{Sacred Mountains of China}}
{{National parks of China}}
{{Zhejiang topics}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Putuo, Mount}}
[[Category:Mount Putuo| ]]
[[Category:Mountains of Zhejiang]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Zhejiang]]
[[Category:Zhoushan]]
[[Category:Islands of Zhejiang]]
[[Category:National parks of China]]
[[Category:Sacred mountains of China]]
[[Category:AAAAA-rated tourist attractions]]
[[Category:Islands of the East China Sea]]
[[Category:Guanyin]]
[[Category:Buddhist sites in China]]
[[Category:Mountains associated with Buddhist monasticism|Putuo]]