Scenery of Zhoushan Archipelago (Photo: CRIENGLISH.com/zjningbo.com)

BEIJING, March. 10 -- The Zhoushan Archipelago, in the East China Sea, is China's largest group of islands. It is composed of over 1,300 islands, which are well known as both a tourist attraction and a center of Buddhist culture.

    China's largest archipelago, Zhoushan, is also a developing Chinese port. The Zhoushan multi-island city lies in the middle of the Zhoushan Fishery area, one of the world's four largest fisheries. It is located in the central part of China's coastline, and not away from Shanghai, the largest commercial city in China.

    Zhoushan city is composed of the 1,339 islands that form the archipelago, the largest of which is the 502-square-kilometre main island.

    The marine area has a monsoon climate with an average temperature of 16 degrees Celsius. Comfortably warm in winter and cool in summer, Zhoushan has a pleasant atmosphere and beautiful scenery. Within the archipelago, there are two state-owned scenic resorts -- Putuo Mountain and Shengsi Island, and two provincially managed scenic areas -- Mount Dai and Taohua Island. Beautiful sunny beaches and Buddhist cultural elements are the biggest draw for tourists to the islands.