Zhoushan: Island Nature, Culture and Coast

Zhoushan, in Zhejiang Province, is China’s first island prefecture-level city. The wider region offers protected birdlife, cultural sites and a 20-kilometre coastal landscape, providing a range of travel experiences. Your stay can therefore focus on nature observation, culture or scenery.

Getting Around the Region

Zhoushan can be reached by sea, land and air from the wider region. The Zhoushan Cross-Sea Bridge consists of five bridges and connects Zhoushan with Ningbo. The bridge provides a specific land route, while sea and air travel offer other ways to arrive. This lets you separate two questions in your planning: how to reach the wider area and which destinations to prioritise during your stay. If you are looking for a holiday rental, you can then compare its location with your planned outings. Choose how to travel based on your starting point; the bridge connection provides a specific point of reference for travelling by land.

Protected Birdlife

The Wuzhishan Islands are a nature reserve and are not open to the public. The Marine Bird Observation Centre at Donghai Yunlang receives a live feed from Bird Island. Birdwatchers can use it to observe the habits of the Chinese Crested Terns up close, without setting foot on the island. Watching via the live feed offers a different way to experience the birdlife than visiting an island, while the islands’ protected status remains in place.

Culture in the Wider Area

The Wenfang Sibao Garden is located in the East Street area of Dinghai. Its named features include Dongcheng Gate, Kuiguang Pavilion, Wenbi Peak and the Ink Pool. The ensemble includes restored or newly built features. The combination of a gate, pavilion, peak and Ink Pool showcases different design elements and gives the garden its own cultural character. If you are considering visiting the garden, please check the latest visitor information.

Coastal Scenery

A 20-kilometre coastal landscape extends across Zhushan, Haishan, Leigushan and Changgangshan. The four place names give the coastal area a spatial structure, while the stated length conveys its extent. This offers a different kind of nature experience from birdwatching: the coast is defined by its extent and locations, while the live feed focuses on the habits of the Chinese Crested Terns. When planning your holiday, you can consider whether you are more interested in the wider landscape or observing birdlife.

When looking for a holiday rental, a practical approach is to first decide whether nature observation, culture or coastal scenery will be your main focus, and then compare the location with the places you actually plan to visit. If you want to combine several interests, you can first set your priorities and choose your accommodation accordingly.

Discover more destinations: Lishui, Shaoxing, Jiaxing, Yiwu, Wenzhou, Quzhou, Hangzhou, Taizhou

Return to the main travel overview: Zhejiang.