Zhujiajian Island offers a variety of experiences, including crab catching, water sports and scenic mountains. Xu Lin reports.

When visiting Putuo Mountain in Zhou-shan, Zhejiang province, Zhujiajian Island is the best place to enjoy beautiful beaches, green mountains and fresh seafood.

A five-minute speedboat ride from the mountain will take you to the island. Your adventure starts at Daqing Mountain National Park, where you can take a stroll on the Qiansha, Lisha and Qingsha beaches. For a bird's-eye view of the beaches, climb to the top of the 378.6-meter-high Qingshan Peak.

At the foot of the mountain is Shaoji Bay, a well-preserved village where you can experience the traditional fishing lifestyle and local seafood, such as shrimps, crabs, fish and clams.

You can also visit Baishan Mountain, which is across the sea from Putuo Mountain. It's the best place to take in a distant view of Putuo and the 33-meter-high bronze Guanyin statue. Guanyin is the Chinese name of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, or Goddess of Mercy.

Baishan boasts many natural bizarre rocks in the shapes of a dolphin, frog and Zhu Bajie - a major character in the novel Journey to the West.

At night, you can watch the 70-minute show Impression Putuo. The stage is set on Baishan Mountain. The show is co-directed by Wang Chaoge and Fan Yue, with Zhang Yi - mou contributing as an arts adviser. The trio has produced similar successful shows set on mountains and along rivers in popular tourist areas.

The auditorium revolves during the show, giving you the illusion that the actors and mountain are moving. The show is about a man who leaves the frustrations of everyday worldly affairs and becomes a monk.

The colorful lighting, three-dimensional projection and moving music take you inside the Buddhist experience.

The next day, you can have a look at Zhujiajian's collection of sand sculptures. Since 1999, the island has held the Zhoushan International Sand Sculpture Festival every year to attract tourists. Artists from China and abroad participate in the festival every autumn, and the themes vary each year, ranging from the undersea world to famous movies.

Artists make the sculptures by pouring sand into large wooden molds. Water is then added to make the sand solid. Once the artist has finished carving the sculpture, the mold is removed.

At Nansha beach, tour the Zhoushan Zhujiajian International Sculpture Art Square, where you can see sculptures of giant turtles swimming with an octopus, Jack and Rose from Titanic, and Sponge Bob and Patrick Star. You can also enjoy water sports at the picturesque beach.

Wushitang is a 500-meter-long beach in Zhujiajian lined with black cobblestones. The stones fell from the mountains above around 100 million years ago.

From Wushitang, take a ride out to the sea on a speedboat and enjoy an afternoon of crab fishing. The boat owner will boil your catch in a pot, and you can enjoy fresh crab at sea.

Visitors can also pick fruits such as mulberries at the nearby agriculture sight-seeing garden.

Don't forget to stop by Wushitang Water World, where a variety of water sports are available for both adults and children to try.

Putuo Mountain received more than 6 million visitors last year. Many Chinese come to the mountain to pay respect to the statue of Guanyin. Some Buddhists come to Putuo just to worship the Goddess of Mercy, burn incense and pray in the temples.

"Zhujiajian has rich tourism resources such as pretty beaches, and it's close to Putuo Mountain. Our focus is to develop the local marine tourism industry and promote Zhujiajian and Putuo," says Wang Xuguang, director of Zhujiajian Scenery and Tourism Administration Committee.

According to Wang, China doesn't have a guideline on how to develop its beaches, so it's important to study overseas beaches and learn from their successes.

"We should make the scenic spots beautiful, as well as the infrastructure," Wang says.

Contact the writer at xulin@chinadaily.com.cn

IF YOU GO

It is convenient to drive from the cities of Shanghai, Hangzhou and Ningbo to Zhujiajian, which is connected with the mainland with bridges. Zhoushan Putuoshan Airport in Zhujiajian also has seven direct flights from Beijing, Xiamen, Guangzhou and such other places.

You can enjoy the sunrise over the East China Sea. Remember to carry some cream or lotion against sunburn for the rest of the day. Buy backseat tickets while watching Impression Putuo, the open-air performance, if you don't want to miss the giant stage set as a whole.

Buddhist culture and beautiful landscapes make Zhujiajian Island a popular tourist destination. Photos provided to China Daily

Visitors can take in a bird's-eye view of the Daqing Mountain National Park on the Qingshan Peak.

A small fishing village is bathed in the sunset.

Outdoor music festivals held on the beaches of Zhujiajian draw a big crowd of fans.

A 33－meter-high statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, is one of the biggest draws on Baishan Mountain.

Some local resorts offer family-friendly water activities.

(China Daily 05/15/2014 page19)