Puji Temple, Mount Putuo

Puji Temple, the largest and oldest of the major monasteries on Putuoshan Island in Zhoushan, was founded in 1080 during the Northern Song dynasty and serves as the primary temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Guanyin, whose worship has made the island one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains of China. The temple has been rebuilt several times after fires and wartime destruction, with the current halls dating largely from Ming- and Qing-dynasty reconstructions, most significantly a major Qing-era rebuilding in the late 17th century under imperial patronage. The main hall houses a large gilded statue of Guanyin along with subsidiary halls for other bodhisattvas, arranged around a series of courtyards shaded by centuries-old camphor trees, some reportedly planted during the temple's Ming-era expansion. In front of the temple lies the Lotus Pond, known locally as Haiyin Pond, a landscaped water feature used historically by pilgrims for ritual purification before entering the main hall. Puji Temple's status as the island's primary monastery has made it the destination for the largest pilgrimage gatherings during Guanyin's traditional birthday and enlightenment-day observances on the Chinese lunar calendar, when the temple hosts thousands of Buddhist pilgrims from across China and Southeast Asia. Restoration in the 20th century, following damage during periods of political upheaval, focused on returning the halls to their late-Qing form rather than introducing new architectural elements.