- Chinese (Pinyin):
- Zhoushan Qundao or
- (Wade-Giles romanization):
- Chou-shan Ch’ün-tao
- Conventional:
- Chusan Archipelago
Zhoushan Archipelago
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What is the Zhoushan Archipelago?
The Zhoushan Archipelago is a group of over 400 islands off the northern coast of Zhejiang province in eastern China. Zhoushan Island is the largest in the group, with its highest peak rising to 1,640 feet (500 meters). The islands are the submerged peaks of mountain ranges that once connected to the Korean peninsula.
These islands have a rich history, serving as important harbors for trade between Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, and Zhejiang ports. Putuo Shan, one of the smaller islands, is a significant Buddhist center with monasteries, temples, and shrines dating back to 916. While its commercial importance declined with the rise of modern shipping, the archipelago remains a vital fishing ground for China.
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Where is the Zhoushan Archipelago located?
The Zhoushan Archipelago is located off the northern coast of Zhejiang province in eastern China. This group consists of more than 400 islands. The islands are the submerged peaks of mountain ranges of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces that once connected to the mountains of the Korean peninsula's southwest. The administrative center is in Dinghai, the main town on Zhoushan Island. Daishan Island lies to Zhoushan Island's north.
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How many islands make up the Zhoushan Archipelago?
The Zhoushan Archipelago consists of over 400 islands off the coast of Zhejiang province in eastern China. These islands are essentially the submerged peaks of mountain ranges that once connected to the Korean peninsula. The islands have steep, rugged terrain, with many rising to elevations of 800 feet (250 meters) or more above sea level. The highest peak, located on Zhoushan Island, reaches 1,640 feet (500 meters). The archipelago is situated at the entrance to Hangzhou Bay and receives silt from the Yangtze River, resulting in mud banks surrounding many islands.
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What are the main islands in the Zhoushan Archipelago?
The Zhoushan Archipelago consists of more than 400 islands off the coast of Zhejiang province in eastern China. The islands are the peaks of a submerged mountain range that once connected to the Korean peninsula. Zhoushan Island is the largest in the group, rising to 1,640 feet (500 meters). Daishan Island is located to the north of Zhoushan Island.
The archipelago was first administered in the 8th century and provided harbors for trade between Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, and the Zhejiang ports of Ningbo and Hangzhou. Putuo Shan, a small island east of Zhoushan, is a Buddhist center with monasteries, cave temples, and shrines dating back to 916 CE.
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What is the climate like in the Zhoushan Archipelago?
The Zhoushan Archipelago experiences a humid subtropical climate because of monsoonal airflows, though local conditions create variations. The summer is generally hot, while winter temperatures differ between northern and southern areas. For example, January temperatures average around 39 °F (4 °C) in northern Zhejiang, while Wenzhou, on the southern coast, averages about 46 °F (8 °C). The archipelago receives over 50 inches (1,300 mm) of rainfall annually. Typhoons are common, especially in late summer and early autumn.
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What economic or cultural importance does the Zhoushan Archipelago have for China?
The Zhoushan Archipelago, located off the coast of Zhejiang province, holds both economic and cultural significance for China. The islands have excellent harbors that historically supported flourishing trade with Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, and Zhejiang ports.
Culturally, Putuo Shan, one of the archipelago's small islands, is an important Buddhist center with monasteries, cave temples, and shrines dating back to 916 CE. This island has strong links to Zen Buddhism in Japan.
Economically, the Zhoushan Archipelago is one of China's most important fishing grounds, supporting a large fishing fleet and producing significant quantities of fish and marine products. The islands are also intensively cultivated for rice production.
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Zhoushan Archipelago, group of more than 400 islands off the northern coast of Zhejiang province, eastern China. The administrative centre of the archipelago is at Dinghai, the main town on Zhoushan Island. Daishan Island lies north of Zhoushan Island.
The Zhoushan islands represent the submerged peaks of the northeasterly continuation of the mountain ranges of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, which at one time were connected with the ranges of the southwestern part of the Korean peninsula. The islands are steep and rugged, and many of them rise to elevations 800 feet (250 metres) and more above sea level. The highest peak of Zhoushan Island, the largest island of the group, rises to 1,640 feet (500 metres). Situated at the entrance to Hangzhou (Hangchow) Bay, the islands also receive much of the silt load discharged from the mouth of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) to the north, and many are surrounded by mud banks; over time some of the islands have become attached to the mainland.
The islands were first brought under regular Chinese administration in the 8th century, after which they were administered from Shanghai on the mainland. The islands were important because they provided excellent harbours for the flourishing trade linking Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, and the Zhejiang ports of Ningbo and Hangzhou.
The connection with Japan was not merely commercial in character. One of the small islands to the east of Zhoushan itself, Putuo Shan, became an important Buddhist centre. Now covered with monasteries, cave temples, and shrines, it was a place of pilgrimage as early as the Song dynasty (960–1279). It is believed to have been founded in 916, its early cult being connected with Avalokitesvara (Chinese Guanyin), the goddess of mercy, an image of whom was brought there from the Tiantai Mountains, a centre of Buddhism on the nearby mainland. A temple to the goddess was rebuilt and greatly enlarged in the 11th century and in 1131 became a major temple of Chan (Zen) Buddhism. Extensive sea traffic with Japan enabled the island centre to develop strong links with the major centres of Zen Buddhism in Japan; in the late 13th century, when the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan attempted his conquest of Japan, he employed monks from Putuo Shan as intermediaries. During the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) the area was badly damaged by the raids of Japanese pirates, and the temples fell into disrepair. They were, however, restored in 1580. During the Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12) they were given imperial recognition.
In the early 16th century the islands began to play a role in European trade. In 1661 some of the monasteries were looted and pillaged by the Dutch. At the end of the 18th century, one of the demands presented by the British mission to Beijing (1794; led by Lord Macartney) was for the establishment of a British trading settlement in the islands. During the first Opium War (1839–42), fought between Great Britain and China, part of the archipelago was for a time occupied by the British.
With the growth of modern shipping and the emergence of Shanghai as a major port in the 19th century, the commercial importance of the archipelago decreased. It remains, however, one of the most important Chinese fishing grounds and is home to an enormous fishing fleet. The islands produce great quantities of fish for market and such marine products as kelp and other seaweeds and algae. The islands are also intensively cultivated, producing two crops of rice per year. Some of the mud flats have been reclaimed in order to extend the area under cultivation.
Dinghai, the chief town of the archipelago, is a walled city located some distance inland on Zhoushan Island; it is connected to the coast by a short canal. Dinghai became the administrative centre when the Qing dynasty transferred the administration of the islands from the mainland to there in the 17th century.
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