"Island home of Guanyin, where the Bodhisattva of Compassion chose to dwell"
Mt. Pu Tuo Shan
Putuo District, Zhejiang, China
Putuo Shan is a small island in the East China Sea that serves as the earthly home of Guanyin — the Bodhisattva of Compassion and the most beloved figure in Chinese Buddhism. One of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains, this island receives over eight million visitors annually who come to enter the presence of she who hears the cries of the world. The sea caves amplify waves into sounds the faithful interpret as the bodhisattva's voice.
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Quick Facts
Location
Putuo District, Zhejiang, China
Coordinates
29.9849, 122.3859
Last Updated
Mar 29, 2026
Learn More
The Japanese monk Egaku's Guanyin statue refused to leave the island in 916 CE, establishing Putuo Shan as the Bodhisattva of Compassion's earthly dwelling. The island is one of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains and is identified as the Chinese Potalaka described in Mahayana scriptures.
Origin Story
In 916 CE, the Japanese monk Egaku obtained a Guanyin statue from Mount Wutai and set out by sea for Japan. As his ship passed Putuo, lotus flowers appeared on the water and the vessel could not advance. Egaku understood that the bodhisattva wished to remain on the island. He enshrined the statue, and the temple of the Guanyin Who Refused to Go became the seed from which the island's sacred identity grew.
The identification was reinforced by the Avatamsaka Sutra's description of Potalaka — Avalokiteshvara's dwelling as a mountain by the sea, surrounded by water. Chinese Buddhists recognized Putuo as this place: an island mountain matching the scriptural description. The identification gave the island scriptural authority to complement its miraculous founding.
Key Figures
Egaku (慧锷)
Japanese monk whose Guanyin statue refused to leave the island in 916 CE, establishing Putuo Shan as Guanyin's earthly dwelling.
Guanyin (Avalokiteshvara)
The Bodhisattva of Compassion — she who hears the cries of the world. The most beloved figure in Chinese Buddhism, whose earthly dwelling is Mount Putuo.
Spiritual Lineage
The island's religious lineage flows from Egaku's founding shrine through centuries of imperial patronage and monastic development. The Pure Land and Chan schools of Chinese Buddhism have been the primary traditions, but the island's defining identity transcends sectarian boundaries — it is Guanyin's island, and all Buddhist lineages that honor the Bodhisattva of Compassion find their place here.
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