Shengsi on my mind

Shengsi on my mind

When the summer heat starts becoming oppressive within the confines of a big city, it often seems that taking the quick exit to the sprawling spaces of the countryside is the best solution.

So one recent weekend, in early July, when Beijing was sweltering and a faint moldy odor seemed inescapable, the exit lights lit up and off I went - not in this case to the countryside but to something even more idyllic, an island.

Normally when the number 404 flashes up, you're looking at a computer screen being told you've taken a wrong turn somewhere along the way. But when I arrived on Shengsi, an island county in the northernmost part of the Zhoushan Islands in Zhejiang province composed of 404 islands, I knew I was definitely in the right place.

A group of three of us drove to Shenjiawan Wharf in Shanghai for a ferry ride to start our journey to Gouqi (wolfberry) Island at 8 am. After two and a half hours we disembarked on Gouqi Island. The endless sea, the turquoise water, the forests and the stone houses were layered on top of each other, as if inlaid on a cliff.

Having set off on our trip in the early hours, we were already feeling the effects of sleep deprivation, but that did not stop us enjoying the views along the scenic route, including the island's summit, its head protruding elegantly through a shroud of mist and cloud.