The statue of Buddhist goddess Guanyin on Mount Putuo, Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province [Photo/IC]

Tourists can now take a sightseeing bus in Mount Putuo scenic area in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province, simply by scanning the payment QR code on their mobile apps such as WeChat and Alipay, instead of paying in cash.

The e-payment service was enabled in early May and covers all 89 sightseeing buses.

In addition, an online bus hailing service was also launched for tourists to book a bus through Zhoushan Tourism Group's official WeChat account.

The sightseeing buses in Mount Putuo have so far completed 48,400 e-payment based transactions worth around 1.97 million yuan ($285,000).

Mount Putuo is one of China's top four Buddhist mountains and has earned the district the nickname "the realm of Buddhism on the sea". 

As a national 5A-level (top level) tourist spot, it attracts millions of tourists every year.