A sandy beach
Although there are many little beaches scattered across Gouqi and Shengshan, only a few are unclaimed by fishermen and their boats. Dawang beach on Gouqi is one of the beaches exclusively reserved for swimming.
The sandy beach strip is ideal for a lazy day. You can rent everything from beach umbrellas to swim paraphernalia.
Entrance to the beach costs 25 yuan. Alongside the beach there are several cafes and restaurants where you can enjoy Gouqi's renowned seafood.
Gouqi is famous for its mussels, which are considered the best in China. The Shengsi islands chain produces about 315,000 tons of seafood a year.
Fushan Temple
There are a few Buddhist temples on Gouqi and Shengshan. Perhaps the one most worth seeing is the Fushan Temple. It's just a quick detour on the route to Houtouwan Village on Shengshan.
A few monks still live at the site, and we were lucky to encounter one while climbing the mountain.
In many Buddhist temples across China, it is a tradition for visitors to leave a small offering such as flowers or food. Here, you can see Shengshan locals making their way up the hill to the temple to show their respect.
If you go
How to get there:
Getting to Gouqi and Shengshan from Shanghai is a three-part trip that includes Metro, a bus and a ferry, and takes about seven hours. Take Metro Line 4 to Nangpu Bridge and follow the signs for Exit 1 to access the bus station and ticket office.
Although you can purchase bus and ferry tickets at the office, we booked them online to ensure that all four of us got seats on both the bus and ferry. From Nangpu Bridge, it's about a two-hour bus ride to the Shenjiawan wharf, where the ferry to Gouqi embarks.
The ferry ride can take anywhere between five and six hours, depending on the weather, and is actually a lovely scenic cruise. A combined one-way ticket for the bus and ferry varies between 100 yuan (US$15) and 200 yuan.
Places to stay:
We decided to stay one night on either of the islands. The ferry landed on Gouqi, so we took a bus to Shengshan, where we spent first night at a hotel called Sizhoutang Yujia Minsu, or Sizhoutang Fishing Hostel.
The seaside hotel has a lovely rooftop terrace with stunning views of the ocean. It is also within walking distance from a buzzing town center and Houtouwan.
We spent the second night on Gouqi at a cozy guesthouse called Wild Books. It is known for its collection of paintings, books and poetry. It's actually the only library on the island, with both English and Chinese books.
Among the dozens of Mandarin poems on the walls, I was pleasantly surprised to see a few Western classics such as Walt Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain."
