Known as the lowest of China's sacred mountains, Putuoshan Mountain is located on a small island, five kilometers east of Zhoushan island in Zhejiang province. Though small, covering only 12 square kilometers, this small island has mystic caves, tranquil valleys, overhanging cliffs and golden beaches.

Putuoshan Mountain is one of China's oldest Buddha worshipping mountains. Among many temples, there is one named Bukenqu ("Reluctant to Go"), built by a Japanese monk in 916 AD in gratitude of the Goddess who helped him return safely to Japan from Putuoshan. Hsuan Tsang, a famous monk in the Tang Dynasty also visited Putuoshan during his pilgrimage to India.

The Nantianmen, or South Heaven Gate, is separated from the Putuo isle by a mere strip of the sea, and access to it is by a stone bridge. The place is a cluster of boulders, with two of them forming what looks like a gate, with the three Chinese characters, Nan Tian Men, carved in the centre of the flying eaves of the gate. There are a lot of carvings in Nantianmen, such as the Hai Shan Da Guan (Grand Spectacles of the Sea and Mountain), carved on it in the calligraphic style of Lan Li. Two monoliths are seen lying one on top of the other on the Meiling Peak.