Putuoshan is a small island off the coast of Zhejiang province south of Shanghai, and one of the holier sites in Buddhism; I just wanted to see the old Chinese scenery.  This is the gate greeting visitors as they step off the overnight boat that brings people from Shanghai.  I had been wanting to travel to this place since reading about it while living in Shanghai the previous summer, and finally had the chance during my winter break.  Winter is not the best time to see Putuoshan, but it does have the advantage of having no tourists around whatsoever.

The central village on Putuoshan, not far from the boat landing.  The small town itself is nothing special, but the surrounding scenery most definitely is.

Village life in Putuoshan.  The boat trip from Shanghai to Putuoshan carried many villagers and worshipers, who brought with them all manner of food and blankets for the cold weather.  Most of them slept together in an open room on the ship.

Laundry day.  The village itself was surprisingly poor, given the excellent state of the temples and sites around the island.

Worshipers change their shoes outside the Puji temple, one of the three main historic temples of Putuoshan.  This temple, near the main village, is the lowest in elevation of the three; the other two are located on the island’s Buddhist Summit Mountain.

I took this picture of the East China Sea on Buddhist Summit Mountain, along a long, steep walking path leading from the Way Rain Meditation Temple to the nearby Wisdom Benefit Meditation Temple - the other two main historic temples on Putuoshan.  The island is only a few miles long and a mile wide.

Carved frescoes along a wall of the Wisdom Benefit Meditation Temple.  My biggest surprise about Putuoshan was the huge amount of money that had been spent to take care of the temples and sites here; I’d never seen Buddhist temples in China in such great shape.  I later learned the money came from private sources; many of the benefactor’s names were listed at the Guanyin Temple, which I visited the following day.

Tiles along the temple roof’s edge.  Despite the ancient design, the tiles themselves were quite new, as were most things about the Putuoshan temples.

A quiet outdoor area at the Wisdom Benefit Meditation Temple.  It was surprising to see flowers growing here in the bitter cold; I was shivering from spending so much time outside.