Putuo Mountain means a lot to Buddhists in Japan for the Zen Master Yisha Yining, who once was the abbot of Baotuo Temple (the Puji Temple now) in Putuo Mountain. Less well known than Master Jian Zhen, Master Yishan Yining also had made great contributions to Sino-Japanese cultural exchanges. Visiting Japan during the early Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368) as an envoy, he never came back and was received with high respect from the Japanese authorities and was appointed as abbot of temples in Kyoto. In 1317, he was confirmed as national Zen teacher after his death.
2017 also marks the 700th anniversary of Master Yishan Yining's death. A ceremony was held at the festival and there was an exhibition to commemorate his life.