Mount Putuo: Developing a Global Leisure Destination with Guanyin Culture

NINGBO,China,June 13,2019 -- On June 5th,journalists from China Lab,National Tour and Daily Prothom Alo visited Mount Putuo,exploring the local history and Buddhist culture behind the magnificent island scenery. The millennia of Buddhist heritage,as well as the relaxing prospects of the island were discussed as a potential modern leisure resort.The event has also provided a new platform where the local authorities could find new methods to expand the area's global tourism market.

Located in the southeastern part of the Zhoushan Archipelago,Mount Putuo is one of the 1390 islands of Zhoushan and easily the most prestigious one. The island has earned the name of "Fairy Mountain in the Sea". As one of the five most famous Buddhist mountains in China,Mount Putuo is the rite where Guanyin Bodhisattva enlightened the masses in Buddhist culture. It is also the only Buddhist mecca to worship Guanyin Bodhisattva in China and around the world. In the context of "21st Century Maritime Silk Road",Zhoushan Port,an important channel for maritime trade in ancient China,has gained itself an advantage in foreign trade and cultural exchange in the new era. The island and Zhoushan Port have complemented each other to make Mount Putuo a place with an international culture of Buddhist heritage and a global tourism destination. The area has emerged as a window to the contemporary economic development of China and a distribution center for contemporary cultural exchange between China and the rest of the world.

Accompanied by local staff,the journalists visited the famous scenic spots such as Puji Temple and statue of Nanhai Guanyin. They asked about the modern tourism construction in Mount Putuo and were informed that local authorities are planning to "emphasize universal values with the theme of Guanyin culture,tell the story of China to the rest of the world,and develop an international leisure resort with oriental aesthetics". Before coming here,the journalists had already visited Mount Xuedou,another one of the five famous Buddhist mountains in China known as the rite of Maitreya Buddha. They were also told that Mount Putuo and Mount Xuedou had planned a "Mount Putuo-Mount Xuedou International Tourism Line in Southeast Zhejiang Province",and they will continue to plan more activities together to develop the two international scenic areas. Further cooperation between the two mountains will improve the regularity and diversity of tourists to Mount Putuo in the long run.

"In addition to the further cooperation with Mount Xuedou,we will continue to promote the development of tourism and culture by leveraging the platform of the Belt and Road Initiative." An official from Zhoushan-Putuoshan Management Committee said,"Through the platform of International Island Tourism Conference,Zhoushan has already cooperated with certain countries along the Belt and Road,in the field of culture and tourism,which has greatly helped the publicity of Mount Putuo and Zhoushan. At the same time,we will also launch certain preferential tourism policies or two-way tourism activities for these partners to expand our tourists resources. In the context of BRI,Zhoushan has the honor to become one of the fifteen key coastal port cities in China,creating new development opportunities as the new norm for Zhoushan,as well as Mount Putuo.

This event of Mount Putuo aimed at displaying its natural landscape,spreading its culture and promoting its cooperation with Mount Xuedou. In this way,its global tourism market and domestic travel market of Mount Putuo can be expanded. The journalists were impressed by the culture and scenery of Mount Putuo and expressed their willingness to help promote the area to more people around the world.

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