Little Putuo Island (小普陀岛) is situated near the eastern shore of Erhai Lake in Dali. It is a limestone island with an area of approximately 100 square meters and rises 12 meters above the water surface. Due to its circular shape resembling a seal, it is also known as Haiyin, or “Sea Seal.” According to legend, there were many dragons in Erhai Lake that often caused fierce winds and waves. This rock is believed to be the great seal used by Guanyin Bodhisattva to suppress the dragons.
During the Ming Dynasty, around the Chongzhen era, fishermen from nearby areas donated funds to build a two-story gabled pavilion on Little Putuo Island. Inside, a statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva was enshrined, and the pavilion came to be known as Guanyin Pavilion among the locals.
To the east of Little Putuo Island lies a natural fishing port called Baishiqu, which gradually developed into a fishing village named Haiyin Village. The distance between Haiyin Village and Little Putuo Island is only 130 meters, and the villagers are adept at swimming. It takes them only a few minutes to swim from the village to the island. Before the prevalence of motorboats, most of the boats used by Erhai fishermen were sailboats, and smaller ones were propelled by oars.
At that time, Haiyin Village was a typical fishing village on Erhai Lake, and its harbour was filled with boats of all sizes. Inside the boats, there were beds, chairs, stoves, pots, and bowls, and even pigs and chickens were raised on board. The fishermen rarely had time to live in spacious and bright courtyards; they sailed on Erhai Lake all year round, and their boats were their homes. During traditional festivals, Little Putuo Island became a place for them to worship the gods and relax.
There are few places to visit on Little Putuo Island itself, so most tourists prefer to take photos of the island from the shore. On sunny days, with Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake in the background, the isolated island and pavilion present a fantastic and beautiful scene. When flocks of seagulls fly by, the scenery becomes even more captivating. Spending a few dollars to buy a bag of feed and feeding the seagulls can be a very interesting experience.
Basic Information
| Estimated Length of Tour | 30 minutes |
| Ticket Price | 5 RMB |
| Boat Ticket | About 15 RMB |
| Opening Hours | 9.00 – 18.00 |
| Telephone Number | 0086-0872-2468530 |
Location and Transportation
Little Putuo Island is located in Haiyin Village, near the eastern shore of Erhai Lake, in Wase Town, Dali City, Yunnan Province, China. It is situated approximately twenty meters from the lakeshore. To reach Little Putuo Island, you can first take a bus from Dali Xiaoguan North Station to Wase Town. From there, you can proceed to the Little Putuo Ferry Terminal and take a boat to the island.