If you’re looking to see the sea, Zhoushan is by no means the best choice. The seawater here is still quite yellowish; to see a truly blue ocean, you’d need to go further out, such as to Dongji Island. The same goes for Shengsi—you can only see blue waters once you reach Gouqi Island. However, in terms of transportation convenience from Shanghai, Zhoushan is a relatively accessible option reachable by land. A direct bus ride takes about 4.5 to 5 hours, while taking the high-speed rail to Ningbo plus a connecting bus takes roughly the same amount of time—but at least you don’t have to sit continuously, which might make the journey less uncomfortable.
Although the seawater is yellowish, it’s still the ocean after all. The sea breeze, the salty scent of the water, and the sound of the waves are completely different from rivers, streams, or lakes. For those who love the sea, rivers, streams, and lakes will never suffice.
The beach on the southern side of Zhujiajian Island is called Nansha (South Sand), while the one on the eastern side is called Dongsha (East Sand). Nansha and a sand sculpture park form a single complex, with expensive tickets and large crowds. Dongsha, on the other hand, is much better—tucked away behind the Westin, it’s quieter, less crowded, and has cheaper admission. The sand on this beach is extremely fine, shaped by years of tidal erosion. When wet, it becomes very firm—you won’t even leave footprints when walking on it. However, since the temperature wasn’t too high that day and there was a cool sea breeze, I mistakenly thought the sun wasn’t strong—and ended up getting sunburned. Looks like proper sun protection is still essential~~~
Perhaps a ‘hello world’ left behind by a lonely programmer.
Right behind is the Westin. This hotel is more of a resort-style property, but unfortunately, it’s just a bit too far from the sea—even farther than the Hilton is from the beach. On top of that, prices are particularly steep, and the dining options are rather mediocre. Even though the beach is right next door, you still need to buy an entrance ticket to access it~~~ It simply can’t compare to the resort hotels in Sanya that boast private beaches~~
Photos in this post were taken with a SONY A5100 + 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, post-processed in Lightroom.
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