Manshan Island

Manshan Island

Manshan Island

Manshan is a mysterious small island at the mouth of Sanmen Bay, located 35.3 kilometers northeast of Haiyou Town, the county seat. The island is composed of volcanic tuff and has a lotus-like shape. Due to erosion by ocean waves, it has split into eastern and western parts, with the western part being larger than the eastern. The total area is 0.4 km², and the highest point is 50.9 meters above sea level. Deep channels surround the island, known as the "Manshan Channel," which has been one of the main maritime routes for ships entering and exiting Sanmen Bay since ancient times. In the 1980s, thousands of

ancient blue-and-white porcelain artifacts were salvaged from the nearby waters, believed to be remnants of a Song Dynasty merchant vessel shipwreck. Though isolated in the sea, Manshan Island is shrouded in mysteries of ancient maritime civilization. Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a cataclysm known as “Shenjingdong, Zhang Shaoxing,” where a massive flood instantly submerged the prosperous capital city of Dongjing and rose to the mountaintops, hence the island’s name Manshan (literally “Full Mountain”). It is said that there used to be a cobblestone-paved path at the foot of the mountain, with a large camphor tree by the roadside and a stone stele inscribed with “This road leads to Dongjing.” Now, only the stump of the camphor tree remains, and the stele has been buried under earth and overgrown vegetation, becoming an enduring mystery.

The main body of Manshan Island is divided into an eastern and a western section, with the western island being larger than the eastern. The southeastern end of the western island is further separated by two gullies, forming two small capes. Originally, a waterway lay between the eastern and western islands, but over time, pebbles carried by the waves accumulated, gradually forming a natural pebble dam that now connects the two islands.