Little Putuo

In Erhai, little Putuo can be said to be a "pocket island". Although the island is small, it is very famous. Putuo is only 200 meters in circumference and is made of limestone. Its shape is like a round seal, so it is also called Haiyin.

Little Putuo Island

synonym

Xiaoputuo (Erhai xiaoputuo) generally refers to xiaoputuo island

Xiaoputuo island is located in the east of Erhai Lake in Dali City, Yunnan Province, at 25 ° 42 ′ 23 ″ N 100 ° 14 ′ 05 ″ E. Limestone Island, covering an area of about 100 square meters. It is 12 meters above the water. Because the island is like a gold seal floating on the water, it is said that it was the seal of Zhenhai left by the great master of Guanyin in that year. Because the shape of the island and the pavilions are similar to the South China Sea Mount Putuo in Chinese mythology, it is named. The attic on the island was built in the Ming Dynasty, with two floors of Xieshan style. The first layer is made of Tathagata, and the second layer is made of Guanyin. The pavilions are small and exquisite, surrounded by mist and gentle wind. Although the island is not high, it is full of strange stones. In the crevice of the stone, there grow many trees, with luxuriant branches and leaves. The trees and pavilions match each other, and you can see the natural bonsai.

brief introduction

In Erhai, little Putuo Island can be said to be a "pocket island". Although small, xiaoputuo island is very famous, and it is indispensable in the picture books that introduce Dali. The perimeter of little Putuo Island is only over 200 meters, which is made up of limestone. The shape of xiaoputuo island is very similar to a round seal, so it is also called Haiyin. It is said that there are many dragons in Erhai Lake, which often set off fierce winds and waves. This reef is the seal used by Guanyin Bodhisattva to suppress the dragons. It was probably during the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty that fishermen nearby donated money to build a two-story Pavilion on the top of xiaoputuo, where the statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva was worshipped, so people called it Guanyin Pavilion.

Haiyin Village

There is a natural fishing port called baishiqu on the Bank of Erhai Lake in the east of xiaoputuo island. Here, a fishing village named Haiyin village is gathered one after another. Haiyin village is adjacent to qigufeng of Yushan Mountain in the East and Erhai Lake in the West. The village has a population of more than 400 households and nearly 2000 people, all of whom are Bai nationality. There is only over 60 mu of arable land here. The villagers are mainly engaged in shipping, selling construction sand and stone, and fishing, with an annual fishing capacity of nearly 1000 tons. They keep a strong tradition of Bai nationality. The distance between Haiyin village and xiaoputuo is only 130 meters. The villagers of xiaoputuo have good water quality. It takes only a few minutes to swim from the village to xiaoputuo island. When no motorized boats were used, the boats that Erhai fishermen drove were mostly sailing boats, while the smaller ones were "mule boats" rowed with oars. At that time, Haiyin village was a typical Erhai fishing village. Although white walls and green tiles were erected in the village, the harbor in front of the village was full of boats of all sizes. In the boat, there were all kinds of beds, chairs, pots, pans and bowls. Even pigs and chickens were fed on the boat. The boat people seldom have time to live in the spacious and bright courtyard. They sail on Erhai all year round. The boat is their adult mobile home. During the traditional festivals, little Putuo has become a good place for them to sacrifice gods and have leisure and entertainment. Looking at Cangshan Erhai Lake from little Putuo, it's like being in a silver plate held up by an old man with a white head. His heart is very open.

The origin of Putuo

Why is it called Putuo? Putuo is the abbreviation of putuoluojia mountain in Sanskrit, which means Xiaobaihua mountain or xiaohuashu mountain. It is said that it is the place where Guanyin practices in India. Therefore, most of the holy places of Guanyin are called Putuo Mountain, such as Putuo Mountain in Zhejiang, one of the four famous Buddhist mountains in China. Dali Buddhism and the Central Plains have a common feature, that is, close to Bodhisattva rather than Buddha. Buddha refers to Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, while Guanyin is the Bodhisattva worshipped by the people. Most of the Bai people in Dali worship Guanyin in temples. There are male and female Guanyin, and the female Guanyin in xiaoputuoli of Erhai Lake. This is the obvious difference between Dali and Hinayana Buddhism in Xishuangbanna and Dehong. Xiaoputuo island is a beautiful scenic spot in Erhai, and it is also a place with rich Buddhist culture.

Address: Huanhai Road, Shuanglang Township, Dali City, Yunnan Province

Longitude: 100.22287750244

Latitude: 25.807472229004

Tour time: 1 hour

Traffic information: you can take the local villagers' wooden boat around the island and go to the island, the cost is about 10 yuan

Ticket information: 3 yuan per person

Opening hours: 9:00-18:00