Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The south of the island
The town itself is unremarkable, but it does hold one of the island's star attractions,
the
Puji Temple
(daily 6am-9pm; ¥5), which was built in 1080 and enlarged by
successive dynasties. Standing among magnificent camphor trees, it boasts a bridge
lined with statues and an elegantly tall pagoda with an enormous iron bell.
South of here and just to the east of the square pond you'll find the town's
other major religious structure, the five-storey
Duobao Pagoda
. It was built
in 1334 using stones brought over from Tai Hu in Jiangsu province, it has
Buddhist inscriptions on all four sides.
A couple of minutes walk east from here, two decent beaches line the eastern
shore,
Qianbu Sha
(Thousand Step Beach; ¥12 until 5pm, free afterwards) and
Baibu Sha
(Hundred Step Beach; ¥10 until 5pm, free afterwards). In summer,
it's possible to bring a sleeping bag and camp out on either beach - be sure to
bring all your supplies as there are no stores nearby. The beaches are separated
by a small headland hiding the
Chaoyang Dong
, a little cave inside which
there's a teahouse and a seating area overlooking the sea. At the southern end
of Baibu Sha is a second cave,
Chaoyin Dong
, which is frequented by
pilgrims who stand with their ears cupped; the din of crashing waves is
thought to resemble the call of Buddha. The neighbouring
Zizhu Temple
(Purple Bamboo Temple; daily 6am-6pm; ¥5, which includes admission to
Chaoyin Dong) is one of the less-touristed temples on the island and, for that
reason alone, a good spot to observe the monks' daily rituals.
A kilometre south of here, lying on a headland on the island's southernmost
tip, the
Guanyintiao
(Guanyin Leap; daily 7am-5pm; ¥6), a spectacular 33-
metre-high bronze-plated statue of the Goddess of Mercy visible from much of
the island, is Putuo's most prominent sight. In her left hand, Guanyin holds a
steering wheel, symbolically protecting fishermen (not to mention travelling
monks) from violent seastorms. The pavilion at the base of the statue houses a
small exhibit of wooden murals recounting how Guanyin has aided Putuo
villagers and fishermen over the years, while in a small room directly underneath
the statue sit four hundred statues representing the various spiritual incarnations
of the goddess. The view from the statue's base over the surrounding islands and
fishing boats is sublime, especially on a clear day.
The north of the island
It's a bracing, three-kilometre uphill walk north from town to
Huiji Temple
(daily 6.30am-5pm; ¥5), on the summit of
Foding Shan
, though once there
you'll be rewarded with great views of the sea and surrounding temples.
You'll likely be walking alone, as pilgrims take the bus or the
cable car
from
the minibus stand (daily 7am-5pm; ¥25 up, ¥15 down). The temple itself,
built mainly between 1793 and 1851, occupies a beautiful site, surrounded
by green tea plantations. Its halls stand in a flattened area between hoary trees
and bamboo groves, the greens, reds, blues and gold of their enamelled
tiles gleaming magnificently in the sunshine. There's also a vegetarian restau-
rant here.
Head down a marked path towards the island's t hird major temple, Fayu
Temple (see p.172). S hortly after setting off, you'll see a secondary track
branching away to the east. It takes you to the
Ancient Buddha Cave
, a
delightfully secluded spot by a sandy beach on the northeastern coast of the
island; give yourself a couple of hours to get there and back. Back on the main
path, t he steep steps bring you to the
Xiangyun Pavilion
, where you can rest
and drink tea with the friendly monks.
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