1. Is Zhaobao Mountain a lone mountain?

Because Zhaobao Mountain is separated by Hui Bieyang and Yongjiang River, it looks like a solitary hill from the visual perspective. In fact, before the opening of Zhenhai Port, there are Tiger Squatting Mountain and large and small mountains beside Zhaobao Mountain. The port needs to be filled. , Disappeared in the long river of history. Looking bigger, Zhaobao Mountain belongs to the Tiantai Mountain Range. Tiantai Mountain, also known as Tongbai Mountain, is majestic and stretches for thousands of miles. It connects with Ningbo, Shaoxing, Jinhua, and Wenzhou. Its northern mountain range starts from Xiangshan Port and passes through Jine Mountain, Baiyan Mountain, Taibai Mountain, Zongtai Mountain, and it is the Golden Rooster. The mountains and Zhaobao mountains run into the sea from the east.

Zhaobao Mountain is only 80 meters above sea level, and it is only a small hill in the Tiantai Mountains. However, Zhaobao Shandong is close to the sea, swallows the Yongjiang River in the south, and faces Jinji Mountain across the river. It is the throat of the river and the sea and the important place for coastal defense. There is a poem saying "Mo Xiaohou Taoshan, the first pass in the east", which is about the important role of Zhaobaoshan.

2. Does Baotuo Temple also belong to Tiantai Sect?

Tiantai Mountain is world-famous for its "Buddha's Taoist origin, beautiful landscapes" and the birthplace of the Tiantai School of Buddhism. Is the Baotuo Temple in Zhaobao Mountain also Tiantai School? The full name of Baotuo Temple is Baotuo Temple. It was originally from the Purple Bamboo Grove of Mount Putuo who refused to go to the Guanyinyuan. It is a famous Buddhist holy site, Guanyin Taoist Temple, and belongs to Buddhism Zen.

Zen and Tiantai are both relatively influential Buddhist sects in eastern Zhejiang. Many tourists often can’t distinguish the difference when visiting temples. For example, the well-known Guoqing Temple, Wulei Temple and Zongguan Temple are all It belongs to the Tiantai Sect, and the Tiantong Temple, the Seven Pagoda Temple, and the Xuedou Temple all belong to the Zen Buddhism. Of course, the temples are not necessarily all Tiantai Buddhism. For example, the Sanmen Duobaojiang Temple belongs to the Tantric Buddhism.

3. Does Aozhu Tower really exist in history?

Many people have heard of such a story. Legend has it that in the ancient times when the mouth of Zhaobao Mountain went to the sea, huge beasts appeared from time to time, making waves, overturning boats and flooding dikes, and the people were uneasy. One day a monk came up to Zhaobao Mountain. He told the presiding elder that building a tower here would ensure sea peace. After the conversation, a red light suddenly appeared, and the monk did not know where he was going. The presiding elder was busy paying homage to the sky and chanting "Amitabha Buddha". It turned out to be Guanyin Bodhisattva's manifestation. The next day the elders followed the instructions of Guanyin Bodhisattva and began to build a seven-story brick pagoda on the mountain, which was named Aozhu Pagoda after completion. It is strange to say that since then, no giant beasts have been seen in the sea, and the sea has been peaceful since then, and the Aozhu Pagoda has come here.

△Tickets for Zhaobao Mountain Scenic Spot in the early 90s

△Tickets for Zhaobao Mountain Scenic Spot in early 2000

We can see that there was no Aozhu Tower on the admission ticket of Zhaobao Mountain Scenic Spot in the early 1990s, and the Aozhu Tower was built in 1999. There is no record of Aozhu Pagoda in "Zhenhai County Chronicles". The experts of the former Zhenhai Cultural Insurance Institute had different opinions. There were towers on Zhaobao Mountain a long time ago, but the towers at that time were small and far less majestic than they are today.

4. Zhaobaoshan was once an island?

Historical research shows that about 6000 years ago, the coastline was in Sanguantang area, and the Yongjiang River entered the sea here. This shows that Zhaobaoshan was indeed an island long ago. 4000 years ago, the sea continued to recede, the coastline extended to Zhenhai area, Zhaobao Mountain became a peninsula. With the construction of Zhenhai New Port in 1974, the coastline moved beyond Dayu Mountain, and Zhaobao Mountain completely entered the hinterland of Zhenhai.

△From the satellite map of the original town of Zhenhai in the 1960s, we can clearly see that Zhaobao Mountain is like a peninsula extending from the mainland to the East China Sea. The Waiyou Mountain and Husquan Mountain are small islands hanging in the open sea.

△Today we see the Zhenhai satellite map (from Google Maps). Zhaobao Mountain is already in the hinterland of Zhenhai. Would you feel the historical changes?