Zhujiajian Island lies south of the main Zhoushan group, connected to Putuo Island by bridge, and has the best beaches in Zhejiang. The sea here faces south and east into the open East China Sea, and the sand is fine and pale by Chinese coastal standards. The main beach, at Dongsha, is a long arc of sand with clear water and a backdrop of low hills — nothing dramatic, but genuinely pleasant and less developed than comparable beaches further south in Fujian.
A sand sculpture festival has been held at Dongsha Beach annually since the 1990s, creating a tradition that draws sand sculptors from around the world and results in temporary large-scale works along the waterfront. Outside festival season the beach is uncrowded on weekdays and gets busy with domestic tourists on summer weekends. The southern tip of the island, reached by a walking path around the headland, has rocky coves and much fewer people.