Zhoushan Overview
Baisc information
- Chinese Name: 舟山
- Location: Located in the northeast of Zhejiang province
- Area: 1, 440 square kilometers
- Population: 115.2 thousand, Han Chinese is the vast majority nationality group
- Language: Mandarin, Zhoushan Dialect
Administrative Division
Zhoushan city has jurisdiction over 2 municipal districts and 2 counties.
- 2 municipal districts: Dinghai district（定海区）and Putuo district（普陀区）.
- 2 counties: Daishan county（岱山县）and Shengsi county（普陀区）.
Geography
Zhoushan is located in Zhoushan islands, Zhejiang province. It lies in the southeastern coast of China, the south side of the Yangtze estuary and the eastern sea surface of Hangzhou Bay. Zhoushan is back to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo and the vast hinterland of the Yangtze Delta, facing the Pacific Ocean, which makes it a strong geographical advantage. Standing in the intersection hub of China’s north and south coastal lines and Yangtze River waterway, it’s the open sea portal and channel of the Yangtze River Basin and the Yangtze River Delta, forming a fan-shaped radiation pattern with the Asia- Pacific emerging port cities.
Zhoushan belongs to mountainous and hilly region. It is 200 to 300 meters above sea level. There are small plains between the mountains and beach distribution. The coastline is meandering, with a small sandy coast dominated by bedrock and clayey coasts.
Climate
Zhoushan islands are surrounded by the sea in all directions, and it belongs to subtropical monsoon climate so that it has hot summer and cold winter. The climate there is mild and humid, with sufficient light. Due to the effects of monsoon instability, summer and autumn in Zhoushan are vulnerable to tropical storms (typhoon). There are severe winds in winter. In July and August, it is influenced by drought.
Best Time to Go
The suitable tourist season to Zhoushan is between June and October because there are many summer resorts such as Taohua Island, Dongji, Putuo Mountain, Zhujiajian, Shengsi Islands, etc. And you can swim, watch the sea, sunset, sunrise and go fishing. But do wear sun block.
Between June and September, the sea waves began to swell, forming wonderful spectacle, it’s good for visitors to enjoy the beautiful scenery at this time.
If you are seafood lovers, you can choose the period between October and February because it is out of the restricted fishing season so that you can eat good, fresh and various seafood.
Attractions
Zhoushan is surrounded by sea in all directions which makes it a wonderful location to form various and wonderful scenic spots. You will have many choices for your tourist destinations there like Putuo Mountain, Shengsi Islands, Dongji Islands, Taohua Island, Zhujiajian, Shenjiamen Fishing Port, etc. Know more about Zhoushan Attractions.
Transportation
The main transportation tools in Zhoushan are plane, ship and coach. Because of its special location, waterway in Zhoushan is quite convenient and developed. The Zhoushan islands mainly rely on ships for their communication with the outside world. Know more about Zhoushan transportation.
History & Culture
The development of Zhoushan islands has a long history. According to textual research, historical records and unearthed cultural relics, relics that belong to the second generation Hemudu culture mainly has SunJiashan ruins in Qushan, Crossroad sites in Baiquan, ancient cultural sites in Ma’ao and Daishun Temple Houdun sites in Daishan. More than 5000 years ago, at the age of the Neolithic Age, there were human beings in the forest and wild on the island, catching seafood, breeding, engaging in fishing production.
Zhoushan people were born by sea and become prosperous by sea. In the long history of China, the long-term production and life, Zhoushan people who make the best of their advantages, has created the unique Zhoushan ocean culture . Know more about Zhoushan culture.
Resources
Land resources
There are numerous islands and reefs in Zhoushan islands, and they are about 20 % of the total number of islands in China. The whole island group is arranged in sequence in the north east. There are many large islands in the south, with high elevations and dense arrangement. The northern part consists of 3 groups of islands: Shengsi Islands, Qushan Islands and Saishan islands, with low topography and scattered distribution. The main islands are Zhoushan Island, Daishan Island, Liuheng Island, Jintang Island, Qushan Island, Zhujiajian Island, etc. among which Zhoushan Island is the largest, with an area of 502 square kilometers, which is the fourth largest Island in China. Daishan Island is the second largest island in Zhoushan. Zhoushan has a small area of land, but with large area of sea.
Harbor resources
Zhoushan has deep-water port and channel resources advantages, with 2,444 miles of coastline, which makes it an ideal southeast port address.
The fishery resources
Zhoushan is known as “the barn of East Sea”. Between of the superior national environment and abundant bait in the adjacent waters, the water in the offshore area is turbid, which creates favorable conditions for migration, habitat, reproduction and growth of fish and shrimp with different habits. Therefore, the superior location makes Zhoushan a famous fishery in China. Since the ancient time, Zhoushan is famous for its rich fishery resources. Fishermen in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Fujian and Shanghai have use it as a traditional fishing area.
Energy resources
Zhoushan has abundant resources of wind, tidal power and submarine oil and gas. It has good conditions and basic advantages for developing new industries such as marine engineering equipment, marine new energy, marine biological industry and seawater utilization.
Festivals
If you are lucky enough to meet the right time and take part in some activities in some special festivals, your travel would be much wonderful and unforgettable. There are some festivals in Zhoushan that show its specialties, such as China Putuoshan South Sea Guanyin Culture Festival, Zhujiajian International Sand Sculpture Festival, etc. Know more about Zhoushan Festivals.
Tourism
Zhoushan islands have a long history, and it is called "the State in the Sea". Blue sky, blue sea, green islands, sands and whitecap are all the mass-tone of the Zhoushan ecological tourism environment. It is characterized in the sea, fishing, city, island, port, navigation features, business, and sets island landscape, marine culture and the Buddhist culture in the integration of marine tourism resources in the Yangtze River delta urban, forming its own unique style. Zhoushan has more than 1000 Buddhism and cultural landscapes, fishing vulgar landscapes, and they mainly distributes on 23 islands. There are two national scenic areas, the Putuo Mountain and Shengsi Island; two provincial scenic areas, Daishan Mountain and Peach Blossom Island, and the only national famous historical and cultural city Dinghai, which is one of the most abundant regions of east China tourism resources. Zhoushan is a famous island resort in eastern China.
Economy
The first industry in Zhoushan is fishery industry. Zhoushan Fishing Ground is one of the important offshore fishing grounds, and the Shenjia Gate fishing port is one of the three major fishing ports in the world. The second industry in Zhoushan is shipbuilding industry. Because of port resource advantages, the development of Zhoushan’s shipbuilding industry grows well. Zhoushan has formed a set of ship design, shipbuilding, ship repair, tank cleaning, marine accessories manufacturing, shipping and ship supplies trading in an industrial system, and its development level ranks in the front of the entire province. Owing to its abundant resources, the third industry in Zhoushan develops in a promising way.
