Zhoushan

Zhoushan (舟山) is a prefecture-level city and archipelago in Zhejiang Province, East China. The city lies on an archipelago consisting of 1,390 islands and 3,306 reefs. One of the 27 cities in the central Yangtze River Delta. Located in the northeast of Zhejiang Province, east of the East China Sea, west of Hangzhou Bay, north of Shanghai.

Understand
Zhoushan has strong geographical advantages facing the Pacific Ocean, with its backs to large and medium cities such as Shanghai, Hangzhou and Ningbo, and the vast hinterland of the Yangtze River Delta.It is a sea gateway and passageway for the Yangtze River Basin and the Yangtze River Delta to open to the outside world.

Zhoushan Island is the largest island in the Zhoushan Islands and the fourth largest island in China.

Climate
Surrounded by the sea, it has a subtropical monsoon climate.Winter is warm and summer is cool, mild and moist, with plenty of light. Average annual temperature 16 °C, annual precipitation 927–1620 mm. It is suitable for the reproduction and growth of various biological communities, which provides favorable conditions for fishing and agriculture production.Influenced by monsoon instability, summer and autumn are vulnerable to typhoons, winter is windy, July and August are prone to drought.

By plane
Zhoushan main island is accessible by plane via its small (domestic) airport situated on Zhu Jia Jian island, connected to the main Zhoushan island by a road bridge, so access is quite easy. There are flights from Shanghai's Honqiao Airport twice a day (morning and late afternoon), and flights from Beijing and Xiamen. Access from the main island to Zhu Jia Jian is easy via taxi or bus. When arriving at Zhoushan Airport and you have no car available, avoid taxis and their (marketing) aggressive drivers at any costs, especially if you are a foreigner, alone. There is a reliable and cheap alternative to these taxis in the form of airport buses. These can get you almost anywhere on the main island for a price less than €1.50. Show the driver/operator a written note where you want to go to make sure that you get in the right bus. Taxis from main island to airport are ok, and do not overcharge.

By train
Zhoushan archipelago is not connected to the mainland's railway network. The closest point you can get via train is Ningbo South Station on (Shanghai)-Hangzhou-Fuzhou railway. That will change in the future. As of 2022, a project to build a high-speed rail connection to Zhoushan is underway.

By car
There are 3 major ways to reach Zhoushan from mainland by road, as follows:

From Hangzhou following G92 Expressway or from Shanghai following G15 Expressway (G15 is passing the 35 km marvel Hangzhou Bay Bridge) to Ningbo Ring Expressway (G15_01). On Ningbo Ring, head north until you reach the interchange with G92_11. This is the expressway to Zhoushan (green expessway standard indicators are with English characters as well). The expressway will take you through the spectacular Zhoushan Bridge network, passing the sea and 3 minor islands until reaching Zhoushan main island near Dinghai District. In main Zhoushan island the expressway is continued with National Road G329 (indicated by red signs with white characters) which will get you to the other end of the island and eventually to ZhuJiaJian island (where the airport and the main sea resort reside).

Another way to reach Zhoushan by road and your time is not limited, same as your willingness for exotic stuff, you can continue on G92 from Hangzhou (and not take the Ningbo Ring), pass Ningbo city and go to Beilun city on the sea side. There the expressway is finished and the national road will take you to Baifeng Car Terminal. This access is used mostly by trucks, because they are not allowed on the bridge network of G92_11. From Baifeng the ferry will take you to Zhoushan's Yadanshan ferry terminal, very close to Dinghai District downtown, after a 50-minute sea ride. The ferries are quite ok, they offer some drinks and most important you can stay on the outer decks and enjoy the thrilling scenery of Zhoushan archipelago.

If you want an alternative to the above and your starting point is Shanghai, you can follow the Shanghai's S2 Hulu Expressway which will lead you to another Chinese technological wonder - the 37-km-long Donghai Bridge. The Donghai Bridge connects the mainland to a tiny island (more a rock than an island) in the middle of East China Sea where there is a deep-sea huge container terminal and a car ferry terminal. From the car terminal you will have a ~1-hour sea ride to Zhoushan, passing the northern island chains until Zhoushan's main island Ximatou ferry terminal. From there, head south and touch the G329 National Highway. The roads are well-indicated so there should not be a problem as long as you stay on the beaten path.

By bus
Zhoushan, being a major holiday spot, is well served by bus services, making this the best form of transport for getting in. The buses are quite cheap, reliable and in most cases more comfortable and clean than you would expect. There are bus connections to all Zhejiang province municipalities and as well to Shanghai, Fuzhou, Nanjing, Jiangyin and others. Since the most frequent used lines are from/to Shanghai, Hangzhou and Ningbo, these will be described in more depth.

From Shanghai
From Shanghai you have two choices for reaching Zhoushan by bus. One is via the public bus service from Shanghai South Hub Station (rail and bus station). The buses from here run at every 45 minutes to Zhoushan from 06:00 to 18:00 all week. The ticket costs about ¥130, can be purchased directly at the station and in most cases is not necessary a booking or buy in advance since there are always available seats. Pay attention that in Zhoushan there are 3 stations for each of Zhoushan main island's districts - first one in Dinghai, a further one in Lincheng and the terminus in Shenjiamen - Putuo District all served by the same bus, so choose in advance depending of your destination. On the way back to Shanghai take all the above in reverse.

Another choice is the touristic bus service which starts from Shanghai's NanPu Bridge Tourist Bus Service Terminal. The bus station is located exactly under Nanpu Bridge on Puxi side and has its own station of Shanghai's Line 4 Metro. The buses run all day long at roughly same intervals as public bus service. Prices are ¥138 for a normal seat or ¥220 for a special splurge VIP seat in double decker buses (Jan 2012). Not all buses have VIP service. The VIP means you will have one of the only 6 seats in the lower deck, identical to a Business Class plane seat. In Zhoushan, this bus will touch downtown Dinghai District (in a different location than public bus station) and will finally drop you off in Shenjiamen somewhere 1 km away from the public bus terminal. From Shenjiamen to Shanghai this touristic bus starts from Banshendong Ferry terminal on the easternmost tip of the island and has 2 more stops in Zhoushan, at Dongang New Bus Terminal (which is in the middle of nowhere) and in Dinghai.

The bus ride between Shanghai and Zhoushan takes roughly 4 hours with a 15 minutes break on Hangzhou Bay Bridge North bank.

From Ningbo
Bus connections from Ningbo to Zhoushan are extremely frequent at every 30 minutes or so, from Ningbo's North or South Bus stations. Ningbo North Bus Station is your choice because of its proximity to Ningbo downtown (15-minute walk from TianYi square, just across the river from Mariott Ningbo Hotel). If you reach Ningbo by train and you do not plan to visit Ningbo, than from Ningbo South Railway Station, just cross the street and you will find Ningbo South Bus Station. The bus ride between Ningbo and Zhoushan take 2 hours.The ticket costs somewhere around ¥50 In Zhoushan the bus from Ningbo will stop on the stations as described on Shanghai public bus section above.

Hangzhou
Hangzhou bus service to Zhoushan is served by the same 2 methods as for Shanghai. The bus ride from Hangzhou to Zhoushan takes 3 hours and it can start from Hangzhou North or South Bus Stations. The Hangzhou South is more used due to close distance to Hangzhou downtown and West Lake scenic spot. Tickets are below ¥100, can be purchased directly at the bus terminal and do not need be booked in advance due to dense departure schedules (every half hour).

By boat
Zhoushan being an archipelago, it is served by a dense and well-developed (and complicated) network of ferry lines between the (inhabited) islands and/or mainland. The ferries are mainly of 3 types: fast passenger ferries (water buses), normal passenger ferries (slower but much bigger) and the combined car and passenger ferries (RO-PAX Ferries). From the mainland the main ferry connections to Zhoushan are from Shanghai and Beilun Port of Ningbo.

There do not appear to be any international passenger ships to Zhoushan.

To understand Zhoushan ferry network, one should divide it in:
 * ferry lines connecting mainland to Zhoushan main island (see above section "By car")
 * ferry lines connecting mainland to other major islands in the archipelago (from Beilun to Liuheng Island for example)
 * ferry lines connecting Zhoushan main island to other islands in the archipelago (see below "Get around")

There are many ferry terminals in Zhoushan's main island and as well at least one on each inhabited island.

Get around
There are many tourist attractions and transportation is convenient.

Other islands

 * {East Pole (Dongji) island}
 * Gouqi Island, Zhoushan, China (Unsplash).jpg
 * Flower and Bird Islands（花鸟岛, Huā Niǎo Dǎo）
 * Flower and Bird Islands（花鸟岛, Huā Niǎo Dǎo）
 * Flower and Bird Islands（花鸟岛, Huā Niǎo Dǎo）
 * Flower and Bird Islands（花鸟岛, Huā Niǎo Dǎo）
 * Flower and Bird Islands（花鸟岛, Huā Niǎo Dǎo）
 * Flower and Bird Islands（花鸟岛, Huā Niǎo Dǎo）
 * Flower and Bird Islands（花鸟岛, Huā Niǎo Dǎo）
 * Flower and Bird Islands（花鸟岛, Huā Niǎo Dǎo）

Do

 * Mount Putuo. Putuo Mountain, Wutai Mountain in Shanxi Province, Emei Mountain in Sichuan Province, and Jiuhua Mountain in Anhui Province are known as the four famous mountains of Chinese Buddhism. It is a Taoist temple for Guanyin Bodhisattva to educate all living beings. Putuo Mountain, with its magic, sacred and mysterious features, has become a famous tourist attraction at home and abroad. Mount Putuo is a holy place for pilgrimage. There are mountains, water and pure Buddhism here. It is truly a Buddhist country in the sea and sky.Zhujiajian Island 20.jpg
 * Zhujiajian. A beautiful seaside town, Zhujiajian is most famous for its sandy beach. It has successfully held more than 10 times of China Zhoushan International Sand Sculpture Festival. Visitors enjoy sand art and play, and ride the waves on the beach. It's better to eat some small seafood. Sitting at the seaside, you can feel the smell of sea water in the air, facing the sea, and the spring flowers are blooming.
 * Zhujiajian Daqingshan Scenic Area. Known as the "roof ridge of western Liaoning", there are white birches, willows, six-edged trees, apricot trees, etc. among the majestic green mountains, as well as natural caves.舟山.沈家门.十里渔港 - panoramio.jpg
 * Shenjiamen Fishing Port. Located in Putuo District, Zhoushan City, Shenjiamen Fishing Port is famous for its night stalls. Many foreign tourists come here to taste fresh seafood. Here is a place with blue sea and blue sky, clean and few people. It is a place where people live leisurely. The most famous thing in Shenjiamen is seafood. Although it's a bit expensive, it's still worth a try.
 * Shengsi Islands, a must see scenic spot in Zhoushan. Shengsi is the only national island scenic spot in China. It is far away from the hustle and bustle, relaxing and enjoying the cool. The golden sand stretches, the beach is gentle and the sand is clean, and it is the nearest place to heaven. Shengsi archipelago is famous for its island scenery of "blue sea, strange reef, Jinsha fishing fire". Shengsi Islands are a must visit to Zhoushan.Shengsi cliff 嵊泗的悬崖 - panoramio.jpg
 * East Polar Island. The main shooting place of "Meet Later". The main scenic spots in the East Pole are Miaozi Lake, Qingbang Island, Dongfu Mountain and Huangxing Island. It has not only strong and simple fisherman characteristics, but also beautiful scenery. It almost covers the real sense of sunshine, blue sea, islands and reefs, and seafood.Taohua Island 04.jpg
 * Taohua Island. The shooting place of the 87 version of the legend of the arched heroes is the sea, fine sand, farmhouse, seafood, and the Taohua Valley Scenic Area. You can walk along the beach at night, feel the sea breeze, listen to the sound of the sea, buy a Kongming lamp to fly into the sky, and pray for your family. You can't feel the noise of the city here, and just like a place name, you can come to an Xanadu.
 * Nansha. The center and essence of the wonders of "Ten Mile Golden Sands" are delicate sands and vast seas, which is an ideal place for beach and sea activities.

Buy

 * The watermelon in Zhujiajian is very delicious, about ¥2.5/g, so you must try it.
 * If you want to take home the specialty; You can buy fresh crabs and pack them with ice. If it is far away, besides dried shrimps and scallops, dried eel slices are also very delicious, seaweed products are also nice;
 * Guansu Hall's Guanyin Cake is the first choice for gifts, which is good in quality and cheap in price.

Zhoushan's specialties include Zhoushan seafood, seafood noodles, vegetarian food, Shengsi snail sauce, dried yellow croaker pork, cold jellyfish, Guanyin cake, Dongsha dried incense, Zhoushan Putuo Buddha tea, Daishan Penglai Xianzhi, Daishan Wojingtan hard cake, Zhoushan late rice bayberry, Dengbu golden melon. They are purchased in local markets, supermarkets and specialty stores.

Eat

 * Zhoushan Seafood Noodles
 * Zhoushan hairtail
 * Portunus zhoushan
 * Zhoushan Yellow Croaker
 * Zhoushan Eel
 * Zhoushan Pomfret

Drink

 * Zhoushan waxberry soju is a specialty of Putuo District, Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province.Zhoushan Yangmei has a long history.Hundreds of years ago, the ancients used it to treat diseases. The annual output of Zhoushan waxberry Shaojiu is about 500 tons. Zhoushan Yangmeishao has won the National Geographic Mark certification trademark for a long time. It is understood that Zhoushan people have been "red bayberry soju treatment" tradition. They often use soju soaked in fresh fruit as a medication guide to relieve heat, difficulties, diarrhea and bacteria, and digestive irritation.
 * Putuo Buddha tea.Because it grows in the misty Putuo Mountain, it belongs to green tea, which is a specialty of Putuo Mountain in Zhoushan, a geographical indication product for agricultural products, and a famous tea specialty of Zhoushan. It has a long history, dating back to the Tang Dynasty about 1,000 years ago.

Mid-range

 * Putuo Hilton Hotel Zhoushan（舟山普陀希尔顿欢朋酒店） Convenient transportation, the hotel is equipped with a gym, table tennis room, children's park and so on. Peripheral public facilities are complete, from the surrounding food, seafood stalls near.
 * Puduo Kaiyuan Famous Ting Hotel Zhoushan（舟山普陀开元名庭酒店）. Ocean Children's Park and Children's Play Area are located on 6/F. Located in the downtown of Putuo Donggang New Town, the surrounding tourism, shopping, catering, entertainment, business is extremely convenient.
 * Manju Hotel（曼居酒店） Located in the central area of Donggang, 200 m away from the sea, the geographical position is superior. The hotel takes Zhoushan marine culture and fishing culture as the theme to create a local cultural scene in Zhoushan, where you can experience the beautiful life firsthand.

Splurge

 * Zhoushan Travel Nanyuan Maritime Silk Road Hotel（舟山舟旅南苑海上丝绸之路酒店） The hotel integrates the design concept of "Maritime Silk Road", and the four room architectural styles of Jiangnan, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and the Mediterranean Sea are integrated.
 * Narada Hotel Zhoushan（舟山君澜大饭店） Amazing view overlooking Putuo Mountain.Fully furnished, with central business districts and government offices within easy reach. Seafood night food stalls are about a 5-minute walk away and you can enjoy the local flavors.

Local customs

 * Putuo Mountain Radisson Manor（普陀山雷迪森庄园） The hotel integrates culture into architecture, saying that architecture hides into nature, advocating health and wellness and caring service full of surprises.
 * Putuo Mountain Putuo Mountain Villa（普陀山普陀山庄） . Located in the center of Putuo Mountain, the environment is elegant and the location is ideal.
 * Nam Cave（大乐之野·南洞） The Chinese courtyard and the Jiangnan garden are skillfully integrated. The single-family courtyard is built on the mountain, and each house is named after the place name of Dinghai, which is simple and traditional. The hotel has a restaurant, café, shop and paddling pool.

Go next

 * Ningbo - A 'National Historic and Cultural City'
 * Hangzhou Hangzhou