Xihoumen

Xihoumen

The Xihoumen Bridge Scenic Tourism Area is located in the southwestern part of Cezi Township, Dinghai District, Zhoushan City. The area enjoys excellent transportation links, being just 18 kilometers from downtown Dinghai, 25 kilometers from Ningbo, and 60 kilometers from Zhoushan Putuo Mountain Airport.

The Xihoumen Bridge is the most technically demanding and largest-scale sea-crossing bridge among the five bridges in the Zhoushan Cross-Sea Bridge Project. It spans the Xihoumen Channel, connecting Cezi Island and Jintang Island. The main bridge is a two-span continuous steel box girder suspension bridge, with a main span of 1,650 meters and an approach bridge of 900 meters. It is currently the world’s largest steel box girder suspension bridge in terms of span and ranks second globally and first in China in overall length among suspension bridges—second only to Japan’s Akashi Kaikyō Bridge. However, its steel box girder suspension length holds the global record.

The Xihoumen Channel is one of the country’s most notorious fast-flowing waterways. A local saying goes, “It’s easy to be a ship captain, but hard to get through Xihoumen,” describing the channel’s turbulent currents. The channel is approximately 4 nautical miles long and 0.4 to 0.65 nautical miles wide, with water depths ranging from 12 to 85 meters. Cezi is known as the “Hometown of Yellow Croaker,” and the waters around Xihoumen have long been abundant in yellow croaker. These fish are large, have tender flesh, and are exceptionally delicious. Visitors can enjoy the authentic “Ten Ways to Eat Yellow Croaker.”

The scenic area currently has six viewing platforms, each offering a unique perspective of the majestic Xihoumen Bridge. It already features the East China Sea Bridge Cluster Viewing Area, Coastal Culture and Leisure Zone, Island Ecology Experience Zone, and Ancient Creatures Exploration Zone, while the Island Folk Culture Experience Zone is under active planning and construction. Major attractions include Fisherman’s Wharf, Sunrise Wave Watching Platform, Bridge in Rippling Waters, Xihou Reflection, Charming Coastline, Windward Immortals Gathering Platform, Long Rainbow Resting on Waves, Cave Immortal Testing Sword, and Flowing Sunset Flying Immortals Platform.

The scenic area boasts a rich historical and cultural heritage, featuring remnants of Quaternary glaciers, submarine volcanic rocks dating back approximately 200 to 300 million years, mainly including volcanic rhyolite, volcanic bombs, and sea-eroded caves. Numerous precious ancient animal fossils have been unearthed offshore. There are also captivating legends such as the Turtle Exploring the Sea, Cave Immortal Testing Sword Against a Fierce Tiger, and the brave heroine Peach Blossom Woman resisting invaders.

The scenic area is characterized by bridge appreciation, sea views, tide listening, and fish tasting. Visitors can engage in leisure activities such as tea drinking, fishing, boating, and barbecuing. The area is developing as an eco-tourism destination focused on ecological tourism, marine experiences, bridge sightseeing, and folk culture, aiming to become a new-style ecological tourism zone with distinctive island features, elegant surroundings, and a blend of leisure entertainment and cultural experiences.

Dinghai District has a total of 128 islands of various sizes, covering a total area of 1,444 square kilometers, including 568.8 square kilometers of land and 875.2 square kilometers of sea area, with over 400 kilometers of coastline. By the end of 2001, the district had a total population of 360,000 and was divided into 7 towns, 3 townships, and 6 subdistricts. A blue corridor connects Dinghai with Shanghai and Ningbo, while Zhoushan Putuo Mountain Airport provides air links across the nation.