Zhoushan Island


Zhoushan Island is the principal and namesake island in the Zhoushan Islands, formerly romanized as the ChusanIslands, an archipelago administered by Zhoushan Prefecture in Zhejiang Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the province's largest island and 3rd-largest in mainland China after Hainan and Chongming. The island is the district seat of both Dinghai and Putuo. The island was the site of the first and second capture of Chusan during the First Opium War.
When referred to as a port, the Port of Zhoushan refers to the prefecture-level "city" consisting of Zhoushan island as well as the other nearby outlying islands, in Zhejiang. The former name of Zhoushan was Dinghai. The Port of Zhoushan is a popular port for bulk carriers.

Name

The name Zhoushan means "Boat" and refers to the shape of the island on a map.

Geography

At 30° N. 122° E., it lies northwest to southeast, and has a coastline, at its longest point at its narrowest. Its area is 502.65 km2. At its closest point, it is from the Chinese mainland. It rises to an altitude of.
The island has a varied range of landscape, with hill and dale, as well as watered with numerous small streams, of which the most considerable is the Dongjiang, passing into the harbour of Dinghai. There are several hundred ports around the islands, separated into three areas: Dinghai Port Zone, Shen-jia-men Port Zone, and Laotangshan Port Zone. The tourism regions include the regions of Shen-jia-men and Dinghai.

History and attractions

The island was the site of the first and second capture of Chusan during the First Opium War. A number of historical sites and monuments on the island are popular tourist attractions.
On the peak of Qinglong Mountain, there is a memorial tablet dedicated to those killed during wars. Dinghai has a number of sites related to the Opium War:
  • Opium War Memorial Park
  • Shrine of the Three Loyalists : commemorates generals Ge Yunfei, Zheng Guohong and Wang Ximing, who were killed in action.
  • The Tablet of the Martyring Site of Lord Yao
  • The Tablet of the Martyring Site of Mr. Li
  • The Cannon Platform from the Fortress of Zhengyuan
  • Remnants of the Town of Daotou
There also those about the Ming-Qing contention:
  • The Realm of Tonggui, built in 1651 to bury the unidentified remains of anti-Qing resistant fighters and civilians who died during the battles.
  • The Well of Imperial Yuan Consort of the Prince of Lu, where a Southern Ming queen leapt to her death as the fall of the Ming was imminent.
Other sites include:
440 000 people, mostly Han, in 150 000 households live in the following 17 subdivisions of Dinghai and Putuo Districts on Zhoushan Island:
10+ sub-districts:
  • Jiefang, district seat of Dinghai
  • Changguo, old municipal seat of Zhoushan
  • Huannan
  • Chengdong
  • Yancang
  • Lincheng, new municipal seat of Zhoushan
  • Shenjiamen, district seat of Putuo
  • Goushan
  • Donggang
  • Zhanmao
  • Ma'ao
  • Cengang
  • Xiaosha
3 towns:
  • Baiquan
  • Shuangqiao
  • Ganlan
1 township:
  • Beichan